Turning Point: Divergence
by MaureenT
Summary: Sequel to Turning Point. When SG-1 find the descendants of Estrania's population, their dire plight leads to a decision that will ultimately alter the course of the future and the battle against the Goa'uld. Daniel/Other. COMPLETE! NOTE: Rating change.
1. Chapter 1

**Turning Point: Divergence**

**Author:** MaureenT  
**Categories:** Action/Adventure, Angst, Drama, Romance  
**Content Warning:** Mild Profanity, Violence, Adult Themes, Sexual Content  
**Spoilers:** There may be spoilers for any episode up through Enemy Mine in Season 7, as well as some for certain episodes later in the 7th season.

**Author's Note:** If you have not already done so, it is vital that you read Turning Point before this story. That having been said, I never intended for this story to exist. Turning Point was going to be a single fic, no sequel. But as the relationship between Daniel and Egeria developed, and I came to like Egeria more and more, I finally came to the conclusion that there simply had to be a sequel to provide the happy ending for her that Turning Point could not. Unlike that story, this one is AU, marking a point in history when this "universe" diverges from the one of the TV series. This story begins shortly after Enemy Mine in Season 7.

* * *

CHAPTER ONE

Doctor Daniel Jackson stared at the papers in his hands. A few weeks ago he made the decision to reveal to General Hammond and his team the events that he had kept secret from everyone for nearly three years, to tell them about the day that an alien device sent him back in time over two thousand years. Since then, missions and other things had kept him from sitting down and writing the report that he knew General Hammond would want. He'd finally taken the time to do it last night. Now that the report was actually printed and in his hands, however, he was beginning to wonder if this was such a good idea.

Sitting down at his desk, Daniel began to think of the pros and cons, starting with the cons. A lot of people would probably be very mad at him for keeping this a secret for so long. Okay, so what would they do to him? Fire him? That would be a little extreme. He might receive a formal reprimand, but that was probably about all – well, that is unless some jackass showed up, demanding to know what other valuable secrets he was hiding because of some ulterior motive or sympathies he had toward the Goa'uld, like what happened with Colonel Simmons two years ago.

Grimacing, Daniel moved on. His teammates would be unhappy that he didn't tell them, especially Jack. He could probably smooth that over by explaining the reason why. That reason, though, was the biggest con of all. Based upon the reports he'd read of the things that went on while he was ascended, there were clearly still people out there who were involved in the stuff that started with the rogue NID activities. There were likely still individuals high up in the government involved, as well as some military personnel. The big difference, however, was that they'd been cleared out of the SGC and the NID. They no longer had access to a Stargate, especially now that Stargate Command had the only one left on Earth. As long as the time device wasn't brought back to Earth, it would be safe from their grasp. But would he be able to convince the powers that be that it was safer to keep it off-world?

Daniel moved on to the pros. He thought of the planet to which Egeria moved the human population of Estrania. If the civilization had survived, it could be quite technologically advanced by now. It could prove to be a valuable ally. And then there were the Ancient ruins on the planet. If they were still there, they really needed to be checked out more thoroughly, especially now that the SGC was searching for the Lost City.

Those were both great reasons for revealing what happened, but there was another reason that was more personal. He wanted to tell his friends and everyone else about Egeria. He wanted them to know about the amazing woman who earned his respect, admiration and friendship. This was something he'd always wanted them to know, but since he regained the memory of appearing to her while he was ascended, the desire had grown. He wanted to tell them about the things she did, the ways that she rejected the evil of her species. She deserved that.

Looking back down at the report he'd typed up, which was now lying on the desk, Daniel weighed all the reasons to talk against the reasons to keep silent. At one point, he picked up the papers and turned to the shredder. He then paused, eyes returning yet again to the report. A full minute later, he turned back around, put the report in a folder, and picked up the phone. He talked to General Hammond's aide and requested a meeting with the general and all the members of SG-1. He waited a moment as the aide talked to the general. When the man got back on the phone, he said that the meeting would be scheduled for an hour from then.

An hour later, all of the requested people were in the briefing room, their eyes upon Daniel, expressions of curiosity on more than one face.

"So, Daniel. Why are we here?" Jack asked. He noticed that a VCR had been set up. "Are we gonna watch a movie? You should have told me. I'd have brought some popcorn."

Ignoring Jack's remark, Daniel said, "This has to do with a mission we went on three years ago. Do you guys recall the city we found with ancient Roman architecture that looked like it was destroyed in an aerial attack?"

Sam nodded. "We all wondered what Goa'uld lived there."

"I know who lived there. It was Egeria."

"Wow. Really?"

"Egeria," Jack said. "That name sounds really familiar. Hey, isn't she the Goa'uld queen that made the Tok'ra?"

Daniel looked at him. "Yes, that's her. You met her last year on Pangar."

"If it was Egeria who lived there, it is no surprise that the city was destroyed," Teal'c remarked.

"Yeah, the other Goa'uld must have been pretty ticked off at her," Sam said.

"So, you couldn't just tell us this in a memo or something?" Jack asked. Then he had a thought. "Daniel, if this is about going back there, you can forget it. I'm not going to go hunting through a bunch of crumbling ruins, looking for something to help you learn more about the Tok'ras' mother."

"No, Jack, that's not why I called this meeting. I called it to tell you what happened to me on that mission."

General Hammond frowned slightly. "Are you saying that something happened that you did not report?"

"Oh, yeah. Putting it bluntly, I got sent back in time over two thousand years."

The responses to Daniel's statement were blank stares.

"You got sent back in time," Jack repeated.

"Yes."

"Two thousand years."

"Yes."

Jack paused for a heartbeat. "Meet any interesting people?"

"As a matter of fact, I did."

Sam shook her head. "Daniel, that's impossible."

"Why? We've traveled through time before and have encountered a device that was a time travel machine. Granted, the thing the Ancients built didn't work very well, but it did send people back in time."

"Yes, I know that, but, obviously, this must have happened while we were in the furling ruins, and I was scanning them the whole time I was in them. If such a device had activated, the massive energy output would have been picked up by my scanner."

"Ah. Well, the reason why it wasn't is that, before the thing went off, it trapped me in a sealed room that was apparently shielded. My radio signal couldn't get out."

"Daniel," Jack said. "It's not that I don't believe you. . . ."

"But you don't believe me," Daniel finished. "I suspected that you wouldn't, which is why I filmed this while I was there."

The archeologist turned to the VCR and pushed the play button on the remote. His teammates and General Hammond were stunned to see videos of what looked like a well-populated ancient Roman city, complete with people in Roman garb. Daniel's voice could be heard on the tape, explaining what each structure was. After a while, the video showed one that struck a familiar chord.

"And here, Jack," said the recorded voice, "is the temple you didn't want me going into because you were afraid it would come tumbling down around my ears. As you can see, it is now completely whole and undamaged."

"My God," Sam murmured. "You really did go back in time." She looked at the archeologist. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"I'll get to that later. While I was there, I was captured by some Jaffa and taken before Egeria, who, unfortunately, was still a Goa'uld at the time."

"Oh, boy. She hadn't gone over to the Tok'ra way of thinking?"

"No. I was captured because I'd gone into the temple without an offering, which was considered a great offense. Egeria spared my life, but sentenced me to a year of slavery."

Daniel went on to briefly recount the things that happened after that, describing how he and Egeria gradually became friends.

"I can't believe you became friends with a Goa'uld," Jack said.

"She wasn't an ordinary Goa'uld, Jack. She was the future mother of the Tok'ra. Even from the beginning, I could see how different she was. Do you honestly think that a regular Goa'uld, upon finding a human with devices more advanced than any human should have, wouldn't have tortured them to find out where they got the stuff?"

"Daniel Jackson is correct," Teal'c stated. "A Goa'uld would be most interested to know from where such devices came."

Daniel continued his narrative, right up to the point where Egeria told him that she considered him to be one of the only true friends she'd ever had.

"And that's when I decided to start guiding her toward becoming a Tok'ra," he announced.

"Whoa," Jack said. "Let me get this straight. You decided to start talking to a Goa'uld about letting its host have back control of the body?"

"Well, no, of course not, not right away. I couldn't just jump into that part of it. I had to start slowly, first encourage her to talk with her host."

"And did it even occur to you that such a thing could get you killed?" There was now an edge of anger in the colonel's voice.

"Actually, it did, and, yes, I knew that you'd think I was nuts, Jack, but I figured that getting Egeria to go Tok'ra would be the only way to get her to release me from slavery sooner. I really didn't want to be a slave for some fifteen Earth months. Besides, I had reason to believe that it was going to start happening very soon anyway, so I figured that it wouldn't hurt to get the ball rolling."

"Did you succeed, Daniel Jackson?" Teal'c asked, amazed at what his teammate had set out to do.

"I did."

Sam blinked. "You turned Egeria?"

Daniel nodded. "It didn't take nearly as long as I'd thought it would." He filled them in on some of the things that happened and a little of what he said to nudge Egeria in the right direction, being careful not to reveal that he'd told her about the efforts of his "people" against the Goa'uld since he knew that Jack would blow a gasket. He also steered well clear of Egeria wanting to use his "code of life" and what eventually happened between them. That was one thing he did not want them to know. If they found out that his DNA had been used for the first few broods of Tok'ra, Jack would _never_ let him live it down.

"This is incredible!" Sam exclaimed. "You're actually the person responsible for Egeria creating the Tok'ra. Well, at least you are in this version of history."

"Um, actually, it happened the same way last time, too. You see, several months before I went back in time, I'd gone through the Tok'ra historical records to learn about Egeria and the start of the Tok'ra movement. When I got back from my little unscheduled trip through time, I was curious to see if there were any differences, so, when we went to the Tok'ra base about that mission two weeks later, I checked the records. Something I found made me realize that I didn't change history after all. I repeated it, just like what happened when we went back in time to 1969. Now, at one point, there had to be a beginning of the . . . the loop, like you and I talked about after that trip back to 1969, but there's no way to know how many times this has repeated."

Jack had a grimace on his face. "Don't talk about time loops, Daniel. They are _so_ not a pleasant subject for me."

"Sorry."

"This loop isn't like the one you and Teal'c experienced, sir," Sam explained. "You could call it more of an opened-ended loop. We're not all trapped inside it, doomed to repeat the same events over and over—"

"Carter!" Jack snapped. "What did I just say about ixnay on imetay oopslay?"

Sam's expression became apologetic. "Sorry, sir."

General Hammond spoke up. "Doctor Jackson, I am amazed at what you've just told us. It is thanks to you that we gained a valuable ally in our fight against the Goa'uld."

Daniel shook his head. "All I did was nudge Egeria in the right direction. She is the one we really have to thank."

"Now, regarding the device that sent you back in time."

"Um, yeah. I knew we'd get to that eventually."

Daniel went on to tell them about the device, how it worked, the sensor that shut it down in the presence of Goa'uld symbiotes, how it sent him back in time, then returned him to this time.

"If I hadn't been able to learn more about the Furling language, I'd never have gotten home," he concluded.

"Amazing," Sam said, her eyes alight with interest. "The level of technology required to build something like that is mind-boggling."

Jack had a frown on his face. "Okay, Daniel. Now, you get to tell us why you didn't tell us."

"I didn't tell you because I was afraid the rogue NID would get their hands on it."

That sobered everyone.

Daniel continued. "It hadn't really been all that long since all that stuff with them stealing alien technology came to a head, and we all knew that there were more of them out there. If they'd found out about that thing, they'd have been pretty eager to get hold of it."

"Indeed," Teal'c agreed. "With such power, they could have altered history to remove the threat of the Goa'uld to Earth."

"Doing something like that could have been disastrous," Sam countered. "There's no telling what ramifications there would have been to making huge changes like that to the timeline."

"You know, Carter, based upon what we saw, I don't think they'd have cared," Jack remarked. "They struck me as having a case of tunnel vision when it came to protecting Earth from the Goa'uld."

Daniel nodded. "My guess is that they'd have gotten rid of the gates, both of them. If we never went through the Stargate, and the Goa'uld couldn't come here through the gate, chances are that we'd have been safe from the Goa'uld, or at least until some day in the future when they came calling by ship. If I was them, I'd have gotten rid of the Giza gate sometime between when it was found and when it was shipped here. As for the one in Antarctica, they could have gotten rid of it at any time. Actually, I take it back. Based on what we know now, they'd probably have kept one of the gates for their own use, to get all the high-tech goodies they could find. Regardless, it would have kept us from stumbling upon the Goa'uld and making Earth a target."

"I'd say you're right about that," Sam agreed. "They'd probably have figured that there wouldn't be any negative impact to Earth, only positive ones."

"And to hell with the rest of the galaxy," Jack said.

"Except that, without our interference, Anubis would probably have eventually taken over the galaxy," Daniel pointed out. "Then it would have only been a matter of time before he came to Earth to check us out. Of course, none of us knew about Anubis back then."

Jack focused his attention on the archeologist. "So, that time travel doohickey is still sitting there on that planet, just waiting for someone to stumble across it?"

"Well . . . sort of."

"Sort of?"

"Jacob and I made sure it couldn't be used."

"Wait a minute. You wouldn't tell us about the thing because of the NID threat, but you told the Tok'ra with their abysmal track record of spies in their ranks?"

"No, not the Tok'ra, Jack, just Jacob. He and Selmak agreed that it would be best if the rest of the Tok'ra didn't know. That translation job that Jacob said he wanted me for was actually a cover for us going to Estrania. We disabled the device in a way that would make it impossible for anyone to use it."

"Why didn't you just destroy it?" Sam asked.

"We thought about it, but what if something really horrible happened in the future, like Earth being attacked and decimated by the Goa'uld? I couldn't destroy the only means we'd have to undo something like that."

"I can understand why you would be hesitant to destroy it," General Hammond said. "However, we now have a decision to make on what to do about this."

Daniel frowned. "Only Jacob and I know what we did with the part we removed. I really think it should stay that way. It's safer."

"And what if, God forbid, something should happen to both of you?"

"Well, the odds of both of us dying at the same time would be pretty remote, unless it was on some mission we were on together. If something ever happens to one of us, then the other could share the secret location with someone else."

"Though I tend to agree with your reasoning, Doctor Jackson, I am not the one who will be making the decision. That will be up to the president."

"So, why did you finally decide to tell us?" Sam asked.

"As you know, after the stuff that happened on Erebus, I started going through the mission reports for the things that went on while I was ascended. I was pretty surprised when I read the one about what happened on Pangar, specifically your discovery that Egeria wasn't killed by Ra after all. I was wishing that I'd been there so that I could have talked to her. And then I discovered that I _was_ there."

"You were with us on that mission?" Jack questioned. "Just how much did you hang around us while you were all glowy, Daniel?"

"That I don't know. I just know that, while you were on Pangar, I visited Egeria. After I remembered that, I decided that it was time for me to tell you guys about what happened, but we kind of got busy with other things, and it sort of got put on hold. Now that you know, there's a planet that I'm really hoping we can visit. Egeria and I went there. There are some Ancient ruins that I think we need to check out more thoroughly, especially now that we're searching for the Lost City. Also, it's the planet that Egeria evacuated all her human subjects to before she went off to Earth to try and halt the taking of humans from there. Now, according to Selmak, the people were instructed to bury the gate. . . ."

"But that doesn't mean they did or that it stayed buried," Sam finished.

"Right. It would be amazing if the civilization has survived all this time. Just think how far they may have advanced after two thousand years of being untouched by the Goa'uld."

"If they _were_ untouched. We can't know that for sure."

"Not unless we go there."

Hammond gave a brief nod. "All right. The first order of business is to fill in the president. Doctor Jackson, I realize that your full report on this will take quite some time to write, so I'd like you to write a preliminary one that focuses on the important points so that I can get something off to the president as soon as possible."

Daniel handed him the folder. "Already done. I wrote it last night. There's not much in there that I haven't already told you. And, yeah, you're right. The full report will take quite a while." He paused. "Sir, I know that my opinion isn't going to hold any weight with the president, but I really think that it would be a bad idea to bring the entire device here. There are still people out there who were involved in that whole thing with the NID, and I'm betting that they would love to get their hands on that device. Off-world, it's safe from them."

"You are right, of course," the general agreed, "and I will pass on your concerns, which I share. That is the best that I can do."

As SG-1 began filing out of the room, Daniel suddenly thought of something. Turning around, he went up to Hammond.

"Sir, can I talk to you privately?"

The SGC commander looked at him closely. "Certainly. Let's go into my office."

Ignoring the curious looks his teammates gave him, Daniel followed the man inside. The general shut the door, then went to his chair, indicating that Daniel should take a seat as well.

"Do you have something more to add, Doctor?"

"Uh . . . it's about the full report, sir. There is one pretty important part of that whole thing that I didn't tell you, something that I would really prefer not putting in the report."

"Which is?"

Daniel took a deep breath. "I'm the one who provided the, um, DNA for the first several batches of Tok'ra."

Hammond stared at him in great surprise. Then it occurred to him why the archeologist wouldn't want this to become common knowledge. If the DNA was obtained in the same way that Hathor got a sample, it would be a very private and emotionally touchy thing to reveal in an official report.

"I see. Since that is a personal detail that has no relevance to the issue regarding the time travel device, I see no reason why it would need to be included in your report."

Daniel breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, sir."

Daniel really wasn't surprised to find his teammates in his office when he got there. It also was no surprise that the first one who spoke was Jack.

"So, you had a little vacation back in . . . what year was it?"

"I can't give you an exact date, but it was early in the first century B.C."

"How long were you there?" Sam asked.

"One hundred and seventy-five Earth days."

"You know exactly?"

"I had my watch, so it was easy to keep track. Also, though Estrania's months and years are longer, the days are pretty much the same length as Earth's."

The astrophysicist shook her head. "This is really quite amazing. I mean, I know that we all went back in time to 1969, but that was just thirty years, and we were there just a matter of days. You went back over two thousand years and spent almost six months there. That must have been an incredible experience, especially getting to meet Egeria."

Daniel smiled slightly. "Yeah, it was pretty amazing. I met a lot of great people, made some really good friends."

"Including a Goa'uld," Jack remarked, making a face.

"Yes, Jack, a Goa'uld who somehow managed to rise above the corrupting influence of her genetic knowledge, then also found a way to negate the negative effects of the sarcophagus, though it resulted in unending pain."

Sam sat up straight. "She was using the sarcophagus to stay young?"

"Yeah. I forgot to mention that part in the meeting." He explained the whole thing to them.

"She was a woman of great strength," Teal'c stated.

"Yes, she was."

"It's really too bad that the formula for that drug died with her," Sam said. "It might have been possible to perfect it. Then we'd have a cure for the negative effects of sarcophagus use. Just think of what that would mean."

"Yeah, okay, so maybe she wasn't so bad," Jack admitted reluctantly. "But she was still a Goa'uld, and there is no way that I'd ever have trusted her."

"Then I guess it's a really good thing that it was me who went back in time and not you," Daniel shot back. "I'm not saying that she was perfect. Even toward the end of my time there, she could be hard and unforgiving, and she was still haughty at times. But then, considering her . . . parentage, that isn't a surprise. But she was also a woman who rejected the evil of her own species and fought to do what she could to free humanity. I think that makes her deserving of a little respect, don't you?"

Jack studied the anger in Daniel's eyes and realized that this was quite personal for him. The colonel began to wonder how close he and Egeria really got.

"You didn't fall for her, did you?"

"Sir!" Sam exclaimed in objection, thinking that the question was completely inappropriate.

Daniel's gaze had fallen to his desktop. "No, I didn't fall for her, Jack," he replied in a low voice. "I was still very much in love with Sha're."

Jack winced internally, now regretting the question. He did not ask the logical next question. Did _Egeria_ fall for _him_? Based upon Daniel's track record for collecting the hearts of alien women, Jack wouldn't be surprised if she did.

All at once, like a lightning strike, Jack realized something. "It _was_ you! That statue I found was of you!"

Daniel let out a low groan. _'Oh, God. Please, not this.'_

Jack was now grinning. "So, did Egeria have it made or did you catch the eye of some sculptor? Did you have fun posing for it? Now that you're working out more and have added some bulk, the body is a lot closer to being accurate than it was back then."

Daniel subjected him to a heated glare. "I did not pose for it, Jack. I didn't even know it was being made until I saw it. It was _so_ not my idea to have the garden entrance crowned with statues of me!"

Three seconds after the words were out of his mouth, Daniel knew he was going to regret them. Two seconds after that, he was proven right.

"Statues?" Jack inquired. "As in plural? Garden entrance? Oh, we _must_ hear more about _this_, Doctor Jackson."

"And I _must_ decline to say another word," Daniel responded.

"Uh uh. It's too late to plead the fifth."

Daniel's response was to cross his arms and just stare at Jack with a stony expression. The colonel knew that expression all too well.

"Fine," he finally sighed. "But I'm going to get it out of you one of these days."

The archeologist gave him a fake smile. "Good luck on that."

Sam was battling not to laugh. Though she would dearly love to know the whole story, she could just imagine how embarrassing it must have been for her modest friend.

"So, what do you think the president will say?" she asked, deciding that a change of subject would be good.

"I'm really hoping that he'll say to leave everything as it is," Daniel replied, "but I suspect that he won't."

"Yeah, that's what I figure. He would have a good point, though, about bringing the main device back here. You may have disabled it, but that wouldn't stop someone from taking it. There's also the danger that it could be destroyed if those ruins ever collapsed."

Daniel nodded. "I suppose that bringing that part back here would be okay, but I really think that the part Jacob and I removed needs to stay where it is."

"And you're sure it's safe wherever that is?" Jack asked.

"Pretty sure. Even if someone took it, it would probably be worthless by itself." The archeologist sighed. "But I'll very likely be ordered to reveal where it is. I could still refuse, but then I'd probably lose my job. I don't know. Maybe I should have just kept quiet."

* * *

Daniel was on pins and needles for the rest of the afternoon, waiting for word to come back on the decision. That evening, he decided to remain on base so that he'd be here if the president called with his decision early in the morning.

That night in his quarters, Daniel rewatched the videos he'd taken on Estrania. As he viewed the playback, his mind was filled with memories of the months he spent there. He thought about the things he did, the friend he made. A lot of bad things happened during those months of his life, but so did a lot of good things, the best of all being that he met Egeria. Even if he had not chosen to guide her toward being a Tok'ra and had simply waited out his year of servitude, he believed that he'd still have been happy that he got the chance to meet her.

A knock on the door drew Daniel's gaze from the TV. After pausing the playback, he called for the person to come in and was surprised to see that it was Sam.

"Hey," she said. "I heard that you were staying here tonight. I'm on my way home and decided to stop and say good night." She saw what was on the TV screen and came forward. "It still blows my mind that you were there. I bet it blew Dad's and Selmak's minds, too."

"Oh, yeah. Selmak was totally stunned." His eyes went to the image frozen on the screen. "The Goa'uld are very arrogant and prideful about their territories, but they'll turn right around and destroy entire star systems under their rule to keep them out of the hands of a rival Goa'uld. Ba'al did that very thing once. But Egeria truly loved what she created on Estrania. She loved that city. It must have been so hard for her to make that decision to come to Earth when she knew that it would probably result in Estrania being destroyed. She spent years preparing a home off-world for her people so that they wouldn't pay the price of her actions."

Sam settled on the edge of the bed. "You really came to respect her."

"Yes, I did. How could I not?" He paused. "I'm glad that I got to talk to her before she died. There was something I failed to tell her before I left that I really should have, and that gave me the opportunity to say it."

There was a quality to Daniel's voice and a look on his face that made Sam suspect that there was something between him and Egeria that he hadn't revealed. She was sure that he hadn't lied when he said that he didn't fall in love with Egeria, but how did the woman feel about him?

Sam thought about what Egeria had done merely because of what Daniel said to her. Yes, obviously, she was quite different all along from other Goa'uld, but, based upon what Daniel said in the meeting, her conversion from Goa'uld to Tok'ra must have happened quite quickly, within a couple of months from the time he started nudging her in that direction. That was an extraordinary turnaround for a woman who'd spent two thousand years being a Goa'uld.

There was no doubt that Daniel had an amazing talent for making people change their minds about things, to change the way people felt. He was a natural born diplomat and peacemaker. He did it with Chaka and with the Unas population on P3X-403, and those were just two examples. He'd changed _her_, the way she felt about things, looked at things. Yet, could even his extraordinary gift for doing such things have so completely turned Egeria around in so short a time? Maybe it could have. But maybe something else was at work, too.

"Was she in love with you?" Sam blurted out, speaking what she had been thinking. Suddenly realizing what she'd said, she clamped her hand over her mouth. "Oh, I'm so sorry! That just came blurting out. Forget I asked. It is totally not my business."

Daniel was staring at the floor. He gave a little sigh and murmured, "Yes."

"Oh." Seeing the look on his face, Sam quickly said, "Daniel, you don't have to say any more."

"No, it's all right. If there's anyone I can talk to about things like this, it's you. I know you'd listen and understand . . . unlike Jack, who would just make crass remarks about me leaving a trail of broken hearts across the galaxy, and, now, across time." Daniel's gaze went across the room. "I had no idea she felt that way until I was just about hit over the head with it. I was totally blown away." He almost smiled. "At the time, I was thinking that, when I set out to convert her, her falling in love with me was so not part of my plan."

A fleeting smile crossed Sam's lips. "What did you say to her when you found out?"

Daniel's gaze was now back on the floor. "Something stupid. She knew that I didn't feel the same, that I still loved Sha're. I told her that if I'd met her at a later time in my life, I might have fallen in love with her."

"And was that true?"

"I honestly don't know. Right up to the time I ascended, I was still not over Sha're's death."

"And now?"

Daniel thought about how he felt now. A part of him would always love Sha're, but he no longer ached for her as he did back then. Though losing her still hurt, he'd finally come to terms with it. If he'd gone back in time now instead of three years ago, could he have fallen in love with Egeria?

"Yeah, I think maybe I could have fallen for her if I met her now," he answered. "But it's really just as well that I didn't feel that way back then. It would have just about killed me to leave her, if I had. I would have been so tempted to stay, even knowing that I couldn't."

Daniel got up and walked across the room, head bowed, hands in his pockets. As Sam watched him, a thought suddenly hit her right smack between the eyes. To create the Tok'ra symbiotes, Egeria would have needed DNA from a human donor. If she was in love with Daniel, would she have been willing to have sex with another man to get the DNA? Could it be that Daniel's part in the creation of the Tok'ra was not limited to guiding Egeria to that way of thinking?

_'Oh, boy.'_

If this was true, it would mean that Selmak, the Tok'ra inside her own father, might have Daniel's DNA within him. Wow.

But she could be wrong about this, and she certainly wasn't going to ask him. That would be stepping _way_ over the line.

She got to her feet. "It's getting late. I should let you get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning, all right?"

Daniel turned to her. "Um, don't tell anyone about what I said, okay? Jack would just be insufferable about it, and, well, it's really something I'd rather stay between us."

"I won't tell anyone. I promise. It'll be our secret."

"Thanks, Sam. And thank you for listening."

"Hey, that's what friends do. If you ever feel like talking again, I have a listening ear all ready and waiting at any time." Her tone became more serious. "I do mean that, Daniel. Any time, day or night."

Daniel gave her a little smile of gratitude and nodded. He watched as she left the room, then, with a little sigh, he began getting ready for bed.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

The question of what was to be done about the time device turned into a tangled mess. On one side were the people who were very nervous about the existence of a device that could be used to wreak all kinds of havoc on the present timeline and were in favor of destroying it. On the complete opposite side were those who thought that using it to do a bit of "time tweaking" should be perfectly fine if it put Earth – certain countries in particular – in a more secure position. In between were the people who didn't want it used except in extreme cases, like, for instance saving the planet from destruction. Within that last camp, opinions about where the device should be kept varied.

And then there was Area 51 and the countless other scientists who were clamoring to get their hands on the device, which made Daniel and the rest of SG-1 very nervous. The thought of people fiddling around with a device that could send anyone anywhere in time was not conducive to one's peace of mind.

"I should have kept my mouth shut," Daniel sighed as he sat in the commissary eating breakfast with his teammates two days later.

"Not to make you feel even worse than you already do, Daniel, but I'm tending to agree," Jack responded.

"Does anybody know what the president's viewpoint is?" Sam asked.

"Hammond says that he's carefully listening to all sides of the argument," Daniel replied.

"Which means he hasn't made up his mind," Jack said.

"So, how's your full report coming along?" Sam asked.

"It's almost finished. I had a hard time deciding what to put in it and what to keep out. Obviously, the ordinary, day to day stuff doesn't need to be included, but I didn't know about stuff like when that thief tried to mug me and—"

"You got mugged?" Jack interrupted.

"Well, in a manner of speaking. He held a knife to my throat and demanded that I give him my money. I didn't have my money with me, so things got a little . . . tense for a while."

"Tense," Jack repeated.

Daniel shrugged. "I walked away with a cut on my neck. No big deal."

"I didn't know that slaves were given money," Sam said.

"They're not, not normally. That's a . . . that's a whole other story."

"I bet," Jack said blandly. "I am beginning to suspect that those six months were busy with a whole lot more than just you talking to Egeria."

"Um . . . a few other things happened. Anyway, I should get the report finished by noon. I'll email all you guys a copy."

Sam couldn't wait to read it. She suspected that it was going to be a real page-turner.

Daniel did manage to get the report finished before twelve and emailed it to Hammond and his teammates, also giving the general a printed copy.

It was around two hours later that Jack came in, and the look on his face made it clear that he was not happy.

"Daniel."

"Yes, Jack."

"Care to tell me why you chose not to share certain details with me about your time back in time before I had to read them in your report?"

"You read my report?" Daniel asked in surprise.

"Of _course_ I read your report! I skimmed through it to the important parts, but. . . ." He pointed a finger at the archeologist. "Don't you try to distract me. You're going to tell me why you failed to inform us earlier that you died! Not just that you died but that you were stabbed to death by some jealousy-crazed slave! Military commanders sort of like to know about little things like a man under their command getting brutally murdered!"

"Egeria revived me with the sarcophagus, so it's not like it was permanent. And it's not like I haven't died before. This was just one more to add—"

Daniel was interrupted by Sam hurrying in, a printout of the report clutched in her hand.

"You were killed?" she exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"The same question I was just asking," Jack told her.

Startled, Sam stared at her C.O. "Oh. Sorry, sir. I didn't notice you." She turned back to Daniel. "I can't believe you didn't tell us this before."

"It didn't have anything to do with Egeria becoming a Tok'ra, so there was no reason to mention it in the meeting," Daniel explained. "And when we were all talking later, I really didn't feel like saying, 'Oh, by the way, I was murdered while I was there.'"

"And _almost_ murdered earlier on," Jack added, "not to mention taking out a guy who also happened to be a crazed killer and coming close to being sentenced to death for it. So, were there any life-altering events that you didn't include in your report?"

Daniel's gaze instantly dropped to the desk, his body tensing ever so slightly. Jack spotted it right away.

"Okay, cough it up."

"There's nothing I left out that you need to know."

Jack's tone hardened. "Daniel—"

The archeologist head came up. "No."

No. It was a simple word, a single syllable, but Daniel's "no" said so much more. It was "No, not a chance in hell." or "No, not even if hell freezes over." or, most likely, "No, and leave me the hell alone." "Hell" was definitely in there somewhere.

Jack's instincts were telling him that something really big happened to his friend, something that had affected the man deeply. Whatever that thing was, Daniel was determined to hide it from them.

Looking at Daniel, Sam was now certain that she was right about him being the one who provided the DNA for the Tok'ra larvae. But the way he was acting made her suspect that there was a really big story around his . . . donation. Would Daniel have willingly had sex with Egeria when he was still so much in love with Sha're, even if it was to help her create the Tok'ra? The alternative was unthinkable, and it couldn't be true. If Egeria had used her pheromone drug on him, there was no way that he'd feel the respect for her that he obviously did.

The tense moment was ended by a call requesting Daniel's presence in General Hammond's office. He wasted no time heading down there, grateful for the propitious timing of the call. He suspected that, sooner or later, Jack would bug him again about what he left out of his report, but, for now, he was pretty sure the man got the message that he didn't want to talk about it.

Actually, Jack wasn't the one he was concerned about. The way Sam was looking at him made him wonder if she'd guessed at least part of what he was hiding. She knew that Egeria had been in love with him. Could she have put some more of the pieces together?

It turned out that Hammond had asked for him in order to express his own concerns over what happened to Daniel while he was back in time. He was worried that Daniel might still have some lingering psychological issues resulting from being brutally murdered, and he suggested that the archeologist get some counseling from the psychologist who treated personnel who'd gone through traumatic experiences while on duty.

The last thing Daniel wanted to do, however, was to bring all that stuff back to the fore and talk about it. The fear and agony of his murder was one of those things he'd shoved away into that little corner of his mind that he reserved for stuff like watching his parents die before his eyes, the incident with Ma'chello's Goa'uld-killing slugs, and his slow death by radiation sickness, things that he could never forget but that he tried very hard not to think about and to divorce from his emotions.

"Sir, I do appreciate your concern, but it's been three years," he said, "although, having almost no memory of one of those years, it's more like two for me. Regardless, I've managed to put it in the past and do my job without any problems. I really see no point in talking to someone about it after all this time. It happened, I handled it, and I moved on. Reliving it all so that some psychiatrist can dig into my psyche is not going to help. Actually, it'll make it worse since it's just going to bring it all back into my head."

The general was silent for a long moment. He could understand Daniel's resistance to talking about the incident after all this time. Hammond knew that if it had happened to him, he'd want to do his best to forget about it. Yet, at the same time, he had to wonder about what kind of psychological scars would be left behind by such a thing. But maybe Daniel was right. Perhaps picking the scab off this old wound would not be in his best interest.

"All right, Doctor Jackson. I won't press you about talking with someone. But if there ever comes a time when some situation results in this becoming a problem, then you need to tell someone."

In other words, if he ever had another guy come at him with a knife, and it caused him to start reliving his murder, he was to get himself to the base psychologist immediately.

"Yes, sir. And thank you for not insisting that I talk to someone."

When Daniel got back to his office a while later, he was happy to see that it was empty. He really wasn't in the mood for any more questions or discussions about what happened to him while he was back in time. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate the concern his teammates and Hammond had for him, it was just that he really didn't want it all unearthed. The murder was fodder for only a few nightmares, and that was a very long time ago. He really hadn't thought about it much in a long time, all the other frightening, disastrous, traumatic, and painful things that had happened since then pushing it further into the recesses of his mind. The problem was that everyone else was learning about it for the first time, so, in their minds, it's like it just happened.

Daniel decided to go home that night, seeing no point in staying at the base, waiting for a call that could still be days away. He hadn't been home very long when there was a knock on his door. He found all three of his teammates on the other side, Teal'c with a pizza in his hands and Jack with a six-pack of beer.

"We decided that today would be an excellent day for an impromptu team get-together," the colonel announced.

Daniel stared at all of them. "It is only if you agree not to pester me about any of the things that happened to me while I was back in time."

"We won't," Sam assured him. "We promise." She glanced at her C.O. "Isn't that right, sir?"

Jack hesitated before replying. "Yeah, okay, so we won't bother you about it."

Daniel stood aside and opened the door wider for them to enter.

The promise was kept regarding the murder and the attempted murder, but Jack and Sam were both just too curious about Daniel's adventures to keep from asking questions.

"I can only imagine the reaction people had when you performed CPR on that little girl," Sam said.

"Yeah, they didn't understand that what I did was just a simple medical procedure. They thought I used some kind of magical power. Fortunately, Egeria was fine about it. If I hadn't been worried about the possible impact to the planet's history, I would have asked for permission to teach CPR to the doctors."

Sam nodded. "I'm really glad you kept that in mind. Even though introducing something like CPR wouldn't seem like a big deal, it could lead to major historical changes if people who otherwise died were saved and went on to have children."

Daniel had to wonder what she'd say about the chocolate. That was one of the things he'd kept out of the report, unwilling to suffer through the teasing he'd get from Jack and possibly Sam, too.

"I am intrigued that Egeria established laws and rules of conduct for her human subjects," Teal'c said. "The Goa'uld have no interest in doing such things. They demand only one thing from the humans in their territories: unquestioning worship and obedience."

Daniel nodded. "She really did govern more like a queen than a god."

He told them what he'd learned from Selmak, that, sometime after he left, Egeria started encouraging people to show their veneration and fealty for her by their lawful conduct, compassionate acts toward others, and proving themselves to be worthy of her regard rather than by giving her offerings in her temple. It eventually sank in, and the temple got progressively fewer visitors over the years, which was what she'd been hoping would happen.

"But she always had to be careful so as not to alert the other Goa'uld that something funny was going on," he said, "that is until she decided to go to Earth and stop humans from being taken from there."

"Why did she decide to do that?" Sam asked. "If, up until then, she'd managed to keep hidden what she'd been doing, why did she risk it all by doing something that was almost guaranteed to blow the lid off everything?"

"I asked Selmak about that. Going to Earth was one thing that I never even hinted that she do, so it was completely her own idea. He told me that the continual enslavement of humanity by the Goa'uld was something that bothered her for as far back as he could recall."

"And yet she had slaves of her own, including you," Jack remarked, "and let others on her planet keep slaves."

Daniel turned to him. "Actually, Jack, sometime after I left, before the first Tok'ra were even put in hosts, she freed all her slaves and began paying them for their work. The slaves owned by freemen were a tricker situation since, if she'd suddenly demanded that they all be set free, it would have caused a whole lot of trouble. Look at the problems caused by Abraham Lincoln freeing the slaves. With the slaves owned by others, what she did had to be more gradual. She started setting more laws and rules regarding their rights and treatment, giving them progressively more freedom until she was able to abolish slavery completely. Because of her long life span, she had the time to do things like that as opposed to a human ruler, who has to move a lot faster."

"Yes, and, talking about that life span, did she ever ditch the sarcophagus? The Tok'ra don't use them."

"Yes, she did. I already knew before I went back in time that, at some point in her life, Egeria had stopped using the sarcophagus. I got more details from Selmak. That was another thing she decided not to do all at once. I mean, can you imagine the shock it would have been to the people if she suddenly started aging? Instead, she gradually reduced how much she used it so that her aging would be slow enough that people wouldn't notice. She stopped using it completely once all the human inhabitants had been moved off the planet. Selmak said that she was always impressing upon the Tok'ra that the sarcophagus would destroy the good in anyone who used it for more than a way to heal serious injuries and illnesses. They took her words to heart."

"What I don't understand is why she never told the Tok'ra about you," Sam said. "I mean, you're the person who changed her entire point of view and convinced her to create the Tok'ra. I'd have thought that she'd have wanted them to know about you."

"There were things she did tell some of them, enough that Selmak knew that there was someone who had been a big influence on her, but she never said my name. She probably didn't because she figured it would be the best way to protect me."

Sam frowned. "Why would she think that she needed to protect you?"

All of a sudden, Daniel realized he shouldn't have said that. One of the things he'd kept out of his report was exactly how it was that he convinced Egeria to spawn more than a few Tok'ra. He'd known that, if he revealed the truth, Jack would go ballistic, and he really hadn't wanted to deal with it.

Jack saw the look that flitted across Daniel's face. "Daniel? What did you do? And you're not getting away with not telling us this time. That ain't gonna fly."

Realizing that he had no choice but to tell them, Daniel replied, "I, uh . . . sort of told Egeria about our fight against the Goa'uld. I really just said that I was part of a group that was working on efforts to bring them down. I never told her the group was on Earth or any other details."

Jack was silent for quite a while, long enough that Daniel was getting ready for an explosion of volcanic proportions, sort of like the pressure building up in the magma chamber before the big boom.

The eruption started softly, Jack's quiet voice radiating his extreme displeasure, but then ended with a quite forceful exclamation.

"Daniel, would you like to explain to me where in that brain of yours you decided that telling a Goa'uld about your involvement with a plot against the Goa'uld was a good idea?"

Daniel wondered if a few windows may have just broken in the neighborhood. Using the same tone of voice he used to calm angry Unas, he said, "It was the only way I could convince her to spawn more than just a handful of larvae, Jack. I was telling her that her children could be used as a force against the Goa'uld, but she was unwilling to start what would amount to a war against her species because of the risk it would pose to her domain. She asked if it was _my_ world, would I be willing to risk _it_. And so I . . . so I told her that my world _was_ putting itself at risk." He went on to recount almost the entire conversation as well as he could recall it.

Still clearly ticked off, Jack was all set to say something more, but he was stopped by Teal'c.

"I agree with your decision, Daniel Jackson," the Jaffa stated. "You gave Egeria an example she should emulate, shaming her into thinking first about the good of the galaxy and second about her own domain, yet you did so without revealing information that, if it fell into the hands of the Goa'uld, would lead them to discovering Earth's future role in the battle against them. Since she did not know the name of your homeworld, nor even its general location, they would not know where to look for the humans seeking their downfall."

"I agree," said Sam. "She needed a kick in the pants, and you gave it to her."

Jack silently grumbled for a few seconds, but said nothing aloud, seeing that he'd been outvoted on the wisdom of Daniel's actions.

"Anyway, I told Egeria that she couldn't tell anyone about it, not even her children," Daniel explained. "She probably decided that the best way to assure that no one ever found out about me and what I was doing would be to never even speak my name. I mean, if you think about it, that was a wise thing to do. After all, the Goa'uld wouldn't have fond feelings for a human who was going around encouraging members of their species to reject the ways of their kind and rebel."

"Indeed they would not," Teal'c agreed.

Daniel's teammates left a short while later. The archeologist remained where he was, his eyes drifting over to a certain vase sitting on a shelf. When he began recovering his memories and regained the ones of his months back in time, he'd recalled the vase Egeria gave to him and had worried that it was among the things his team got rid of when they were going through his personal belongings. Fortunately, because it was found off-world, they'd put it in the base archives. He had retrieved it and brought it back home. Another thing he'd gotten back was the statue Egeria had made of him. That had not been in the archives, thank goodness. It had been in Sam's possession. When they were clearing out his apartment and Sam found it in his closet, she decided to take it home, knowing that he'd have felt a lot more comfortable with her having it than Jack.

Daniel got his wallet and pulled out a folded piece of paper. Printed on it was a still shot from the videos he'd taken while on Estrania. It was from the first ones he took, when Egeria asked him to demonstrate how the camera worked. While filming the sitting room, he taped a few seconds of Egeria herself. When the camera was turned in her direction and Daniel said into the microphone, "And this is Queen Egeria, who is the boss of this whole planet," she had smiled. The printout was of that moment.

As Daniel stared at the photo, a little ache grew in his chest. Ever since he recovered the memory of talking with Egeria while ascended, he'd been thinking a lot about her. In fact, he couldn't seem to stop himself from doing so. He thought about the moments of friendship they shared, the long conversations, the way her eyes lit with wonder and delight when she tasted the chocolates he made for her. And he'd thought about the night they made love. The pain of what happened that night had disappeared long ago, enabling him to remember it without it bothering him. In fact, instead of it bothering him, he'd found himself wondering how it would have been if their lovemaking had been as a result of mutual desire instead of the accidental release of Egeria's Nish'ta'el. Would it have been equally as powerful and passionate? It would certainly not have been as out of control. There had been absolutely no thoughts at all going through his brain during their wild, nearly crazed mating. No, if he'd been in his right mind, he'd have made love to her more slowly, touching and kissing her lovingly, as he used to do with his wife.

Daniel pulled back quickly from that thought. Why was he thinking about this? It was ridiculous. He had never loved Egeria, not like that, not like Sha're.

Folding up the picture, he put it in his desk drawer, then went into the kitchen for some water. Yet, even as he poured the water, he found his mind drifting back again to Egeria. He wondered what she'd think of Earth as it was today. He thought about the look that would be on her face if he took her to Rome, and she saw what it looked like now, with its surviving remnants of the ancient realm within which she'd once lived. He wondered what she'd say about some of the adventures he'd had, the things he'd seen.

As he stood there in the kitchen, staring down at the glass in his hands, Daniel realized to his surprise that he missed her. How could he miss her now, after all this time? Yes, for a long time after returning to the present, he had missed her, but that feeling eventually faded to just moments now and then when he wondered what she'd say about this or think about that. So why was it that, now, it had grown so strong again? Was it because of that new memory of talking to her, holding her, hearing her say that she had never stopped loving him?

Daniel poured out the water and set down the glass with a little more force than necessary. Why was he doing this to himself? Egeria was dead. There would be no trip to Rome, no telling her tales of his adventures across the galaxy, no gentle voice saying, "My Daniel." He needed to put all these feelings back where they were before, buried in that place deep inside his heart that he reserved for all the friends he'd lost over the years.

Leaving the kitchen, Daniel headed for the bedroom, hoping that they'd have an answer on the time device tomorrow. The sooner this whole thing was over with and in the past, the sooner he could get back to focusing on other things.

* * *

The next afternoon, Daniel got his wish. They learned from the general that a decision had been made. The main section of the time device was to be brought through the gate and given to Area 51 for study. The other part was to remain off-world, for the time being, the president having agreed that it would be too dangerous to have both parts on Earth. Daniel was instructed, however, to reveal where it was so that if something was to happen to him, they would not have to turn to Jacob for the information. It had been reasoned that the former rogue members of the NID would have no way to retrieve the piece since their access to the gate has been cut off.

Not really happy about having to reveal where the removed piece was, but knowing that this was way better than what could have been decided, Daniel agreed but said that the device should be moved someplace else instead, someplace where innocent people weren't going to get hurt if the Goa'uld or someone else with a lack of morality was to attempt to retrieve it. Hammond agreed that would be wise.

"So, who has it?" Jack asked Daniel.

"Tuplo's people. I knew they'd take good care of it."

"I'm thinking that the Alpha Site would be a good location for it," Sam said. "It would then be easy to retrieve, but still be out of reach from anyone without gate access."

The general thought that was a good idea. "I have scheduled you, SG-3 and a work crew to retrieve the main device tomorrow," he said.

"What about the Tok'ra?" Daniel asked. "We are supposed to be telling them about things like retrieving advanced technology, but the reason why Jacob and I agreed they shouldn't know still applies. There's still the risk of a spy in their midst passing the information on to the Goa'uld."

"The Tok'ra are a touchy subject. Our treaty does state that we must tell them about any advanced technology we find that could potentially be used in the fight against the Goa'uld."

Daniel frowned. "Then wouldn't that mean that we don't have to tell them? We're not planning on using it against the Goa'uld."

"The Tok'ra would likely not look at it that way, not for something as dangerous as this device. But, as you said, we would then be running the risk that a spy planted within their midst would tell the Goa'uld."

"Well, if nothing else, we need to tell Jacob. He was the one who helped me disable it."

"But that would put Dad in a tough spot," Sam said. "It's one thing for him to keep the secret about that thing, but it's another to keep it secret that we have it in our possession."

"At this point, the president has not given permission to tell any of the Tok'ra about the device or our plans," Hammond said. "Once we have the main device here and the other part moved to the Alpha Site, then we can turn our attention to the issue of the Tok'ra."

First thing the next morning, SG-1 and the others gated to Estrania.

Colonel Reynolds looked about. "So, this is the place you lived for six months?" he asked Daniel.

"Yep, though it was in quite a bit better shape back then."

They wasted no time in getting to the Furling ruins, though being there in Egeria's city was bringing back a lot of memories for Daniel. He pointed to a few things here and there and told Sam about them.

"So, what's the story behind that blue-flowered vine we found?" she asked. "I know there's a story behind it."

Daniel glanced at Jack where he was walking ahead of them a few paces. "Um, yeah. I'll tell you about that another time."

Sam smiled slightly. "Okay. To be honest, I would absolutely love to take a cutting and plant it at my house, but I think that having an alien flower growing there wouldn't be such a good idea."

"Well, I think that there was some talk of bringing back samples of flora beyond what we're already doing for medicinal study. Maybe we could talk Hammond into letting us bring back some of it just to see if it would grow on Earth."

Sam started to grin. "We'd have to give it a name, then. They often name flowers after the person who discovered or bred them."

"Ah, like Caeruleus Egerialis? Caeruleus is Latin for blue."

"Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of Caeruleus Danielis."

Daniel looked at her and saw the mirth twinkling in her eyes.

"The common name could be Daniel's Vine," she said.

The archeologist gave her a playful shove. "Not on your life."

When they got to the Furling ruins, Daniel was relieved to see that they were still standing. He knew that, if they'd collapsed, a lot of people back on Earth would have been very displeased with him that he hadn't told them about the device when it could still have been retrieved.

Recruiting Teal'c to help, Daniel aligned the little mark on the center disk to the notch that corresponded to two o'clock, then he and the Jaffa turned the decorative ring on the outer edge of the dome in a full circle. Everyone watched, fascinated, as the device opened.

The second it was fully opened, Sam was hurrying forward to gaze at the innards.

"Wow. I can't even begin to guess how this works."

Daniel smiled. "I think that's exactly what Jacob said about him and Selmak."

The astrophysicist began running her scanner over it. "I'm not finding a power source. I wonder if. . . ." She ran her scanner over the floor around the pedestal. "That's what I was afraid of. It's under the floor. There's no telling how big it is. It may be too big to get through the gate."

As Daniel watched Sam, he began to frown. They were overlooking something, something obvious. Now, if he could just figure out. . . .

"Uh oh."

Everyone looked at him.

"Uh oh?" Jack repeated. "Daniel, I don't like it when you say, 'Uh oh.' It makes me all nervous and twitchy."

"We're not going to be able to take this back to Earth, regardless of how big the power source is."

"Why not?" Sam asked.

"Because it won't work anywhere else. Well, it probably _will_ work, if, when we use it, we don't want to go back in time any further than the date we brought it to Earth."

Sam's eyes widened as the same realization struck her. "Of course! I should have seen it before."

Jack stared at the two scientists. "Seen _what_ before?"

Sam turned to him. "This device will send a person back in time, but it doesn't go with them. It stays here in the present. To get back to the present, you need one there in the past with you. Otherwise, you'd be stranded."

"So the person would need a portable version to take with them?"

"Even if we could make one, which I seriously doubt, I think what's actually happening is that the device connects via some kind of tunnel through time to itself, like what happened when the gate sent us back to 1969. We were slingshotted around the sun and came out of the same Stargate, but in a different time, except that we didn't actually come out of the gate in 1969 since, if we did, we'd have wound up in that ware. . . ."

"Carter, your babbling."

"Oh. Sorry, sir. What I'm saying is that, in order for the device to work, it has to be at both ends of the tunnel, which means that you cannot go back any further in time than the device has been in that location. If we took this thing back to Earth and set it up in Area 51 tomorrow, we would never be able to go back in time any further than tomorrow. To go further back, we'd have to put the device back here."

"I think this might explain something," Daniel said. "I wondered why it was that the Furlings left it here instead of taking it with them. I had thought that it was because they left in a hurry, but maybe it was because, if they took it with them, it would be useless to them. For some reason, sometime in the past, they created this device and placed it here for future use, knowing that it would never take them any further back than the date it was put here."

"Why would they do that?" a member of SG-3 asked.

"I don't know. Maybe they had some reason to believe that they'd need to travel back to that time. The point is that, if we take it to Earth, it can't possibly be used to go back in time to an earlier date, which, I suppose, is a good thing, in a way. If someone got their hands on it, they couldn't use it to go back and steal the Stargate after it was dug up in Giza."

Reynolds spoke up. "Are you sure this . . . this time tunnel wouldn't just bring the traveler here if you went further back in time?"

Sam shook her head. "I doubt this device would have that ability."

"Hey, wasn't there an old TV series called Time Tunnel?" Jack asked.

"Yes, one that completely ignored the laws of physics, not to mention playing it fast and loose with history. Old reruns of it were being shown several years ago, and I couldn't stop shaking my head while I watched it."

"Yeah, but admit it. You thought that one guy who was in it was really cute. James Darren, right?"

"Not to interrupt this important discussion," Daniel said, "but what do we do now?"

"We're going to have to go back and tell Hammond," Sam replied. "We also need to determine how big the power source is. A GPRS might work, ground-penetrating radar system. It's a device that is used to detect buried objects through the use of electromagnetic radiation in the microwave band of the radio spectrum. As long as the soil doesn't have high electrical conductivity, such as clay-laden soil, we should be able to see deep enough to at least get some idea of how big the power source is."

After closing the device back up, SG-1 the others began the long walk back to the gate, wondering what the fate of the device would now be.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

The decision regarding the device was announced the next morning. It had been decided that, under the circumstances, it would be best to keep it where it was, but only if there was some way to assure that it would not be found by anyone else. Daniel's idea was that, if they could shut the door from outside the room, that would probably do the trick since the room was shielded. Sam believed that she should be able to jury-rig some kind of remote control.

An hour later, SG-1 gated back through to Estrania with a GPRS and a technician who was an expert in reading their images. With the ground-penetrating radar, they learned that the power source was small enough to get through the gate. The problem was that the only way to get it out of the ground would be to demolish the ruins and dig it out with heavy machinery. The look on Daniel's face told everyone what he thought of that.

Sam ran into trouble with rigging a remote control. In a situation like this, she'd normally come up with a way to remotely trigger the circuit or other component on the device she was trying to operate, but the alienness of the technology coupled with her reluctance to blindly fiddle with the thing made that problematic.

"Why not just do what the MythBusters do?" Jack asked.

Sam stared at him, frowning in puzzlement. "Sir?"

"The MythBusters, on the Discovery Channel."

Daniel gaped at him. "You watch the Discovery Channel?"

"Sometimes," Jack admitted a little reluctantly. "MythBusters is a new show." He shrugged. "I like the explosions. They sometimes make remote controls that push buttons or light fuses and other stuff like that."

Light dawned in Sam's eyes. "Sir, that's a great idea," she said, which made Jack smile proudly. "All I'd have to do is rig up a device that would depress the button. That'll be easy. I'm going to need some other things from the SGC, though."

Jack's smile faded. "You mean we have to make that trip again?"

"I'm afraid so, sir."

"Too bad we can't bring some kind of transportation through," Daniel remarked, also growing tired of the repeated trip.

Once they were back on base, Jack pleaded with General Hammond to let them use two of the base's motorcycles.

"I'm begging you, sir," he said. "I don't think I can bear the thought of yet another round trip on foot. Besides, it'll mean that we'll get finished so much sooner."

"Very well, Colonel. I'll have two of the motorcycles brought down."

By the time they arrived, Sam had gathered all she'd need for the job. She was surprised when she saw the bikes sitting in the gate room.

Jack grinned and patted one. "Hey, how's this for off-world travel, Carter?"

She smiled as well. "This will be fun. Has something like this ever been done on an off-world mission before?"

"Nope. We'll be the first."

The moment they were on Estrania, Jack got onto one of the bikes.

"Hop on behind me, T."

Teal'c frowned at the motorcycle. "I have never before ridden on one of these vehicles."

"Oh, you'll love it! The sun on your face, the wind in your ha—" He looked up at the Jaffa's shaved head. "Um, the wind in your face."

Sam sat astride the other bike. "I don't get to ride mine nearly as much as I'd like to." She handed a helmet to Daniel, who'd be riding with her.

"Should we not also be wearing helmets, O'Neill?" Teal'c asked.

"When I was a teenager, we never wore helmets," the colonel responded. "It wasn't cool. They make you wear them now because it's the law."

"Cool or not, sir, it is safer," Sam said as she donned her own helmet. "The likelihood of a fatal injury in a motorcycle accident rises dramatically if the driver is not wearing a helmet."

Jack let out a sigh and start putting on his helmet, giving up on the "wind in your hair" part of the experience.

"So, have you ever been on a bike before, Daniel?" Sam asked him.

"A few times when I was in college. I was always the passenger, though. I did drive a little scooter around Italy when I was there one summer."

Minutes later, Egeria's city was witness to a sight that would have sent most of its inhabitants running away in fear, the ancient ruins echoing with the sound of two internal combustion engines roaring down its streets. Though Sam and Jack both wanted to go faster, they kept their speed down to below thirty-five for the sake of safety. Even so, the trip back to the Furling ruins flew by.

As SG-1 pulled up and shut off the bikes, Jack exclaimed, "Yeah! Now, that's the way to go. I need to talk to Hammond about letting us do this on all missions that require a long walk."

"Oh, yes. Just what we want to do, scare all the natives half to death and have them attacking the demon monsters," Daniel responded.

Jack paused a moment. "Well . . . it was just a thought."

They went into the chamber with the device. Jack stared at the thing for a moment.

"I just thought of something," he said. "If this room is shielded, how are we going to open the door again once we get it closed? The radio signal wouldn't penetrate, would it?"

"I already thought of that, sir," Sam told him. "We'll run some wires underneath the door and attach a receiver to the end. We can hide it with some of this debris." She gestured at the chunks of the roof that littered the floor.

It didn't take long for Sam to put together what Jack called the alien button pusher. They tested it with Daniel and Sam inside the room. The device worked perfectly, and Jack was able to open the door using the remote. Afterwards, Sam examined the wires leading to the receiver, making sure that the door hadn't pinched them.

"It looks good, so I guess we're good to go," she said.

She and her teammates gathered outside the room. She was getting ready to close the door when Daniel abruptly said, "Wait! I completely forgot about something." He went back into the room, then returned carrying a leather satchel.

"What's that?" Jack asked curiously.

"It's the clothing I was wearing when I returned. I didn't see any sense in leaving it in there. There's a lantern, too, but I couldn't carry that on the motorcycle."

Jack was very curious now. "So, is it a toga?"

"No, freemen work togas. Slaves wore only tunics."

"Tunics, huh? Are those the things that come up to your knees?" Jack was almost smiling now.

"Mine was longer," Daniel replied shortly, now wishing he'd left the satchel in the room.

"So, what about the underwear?" Jack received no reply to that question.

Smiling slightly, Sam pressed the button on the remote. The little device once again did its job, and the door obediently slid shut. Sam ran her scanner over the door.

"I'm not picking up anything at all. I'd say this definitely confirms that the room is shielded."

"So, it'll be hidden from ships in orbit, too?" Jack asked.

"I'd say so, sir, as long as the ceiling and walls remain intact."

"Yeah, to be on the safe side, we should probably do something about shoring up the ceiling," Daniel said.

"I think that can wait for another day," Jack responded. "I have seen more than enough of this planet."

Now that they were familiar with the feel of the road, Jack and Sam couldn't stop themselves from going a wee bit faster on the trip back.

"So, T," the colonel said as he got off the bike. "How do you like riding a . . . oh."

The "oh" was uttered upon Jack turning to Teal'c and seeing what looked like the remains of a rather large bug splattered on the Jaffa's forehead, adding an interesting pattern to the gold emblem.

"Yeah, I should probably have warned you about that," the colonel said with a grimace.

Teal'c cooly reached up and wiped the mess off, taking the handkerchief that Jack handed to him.

"Thank you, O'Neill."

"You're welcome."

They were greeted in the gate room by Hammond when they arrived back at the SGC. He told them that they might as well stay geared up since they'd be heading right back out again to get the part of the device that was in the care of Tuplo's people. Because the main device was going to be remaining off-world, it had been decided that the other part would be brought to Earth instead of taken to the Alpha Site.

By the time they returned to the SGC with the orb, all the members of SG-1 decided that they'd had enough of off-world travel for a while.

Once the post-mission physical and the debriefing were done, Daniel went to his office to begin making a dent in the work that had piled up. At 8:30 that night, he was still at it.

"So, did you even bother to eat dinner?" asked a voice from the doorway.

Daniel looked up at Jack. "I grabbed a sandwich."

Jack noticed the sandwich sitting only half-eaten on the desk. He got a chair and wheeled it over. Glancing at the screen and seeing what looked like just a bunch of lines and squiggles, he focused his attention on the man who was reading them.

"I went back and read your report again," he said.

"Why?"

"Because I wanted to see if I could figure out what it was that you weren't telling us."

Daniel's gaze fell to the keyboard.

"Though you mostly kept the report factual, I was reading a lot of stuff between the lines, stuff mostly about you and Egeria. You did it again, didn't you."

"Did what again?"

"What you did with Sha're, Shyla, Ke'ra and probably a few others as well."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, yes, you do. Oh, I'm sure you didn't do it deliberately. You never do. But, apparently, there's just something about you that makes alien women fall head over heels for you. Now, you've added a Goa'uld to the list."

Daniel turned his face away. He'd really been hoping that Jack wouldn't figure this out.

"I also remember what it is that Goa'uld queens do when they want a guy."

Daniel sprang from his chair and strode over to his desk. "Egeria wasn't like Hathor," he said in a tight voice.

"You know, I did get that from all the things you said about her. Yet I can't help but notice that you're having trouble looking at me."

"Just . . . just leave it alone, all right?" Daniel asked. "Please."

Jack got up. "I can't do that, Daniel. I made that mistake once before, and I'm not going to do it again. When you told us that some of your DNA would be in those larvae that Hathor made, I guessed right off how that DNA got there, but I chose not to think about whether or not you were a completely willing donor. I didn't _want_ to think about it. I wanted to stick my head in the sand and pretend that things were fine. Because of that, you had to deal with the fallout alone for two days, and it was Carter who had the guts to finally step up and do something. So, no, I'm not going to leave you alone about this, not this time."

Daniel closed his eyes. Jack's voice was gentle, a concerned, caring voice that he seldom heard from this man. More often, it was the voice of wisecracks, sarcastic remarks, angry outbursts. After years of practice, he'd pretty much hardened himself against that voice and its words. Against _this_ voice, he had little resistance.

"It was an accident," he said in a low tone. "When Egeria made the decision to produce larvae without the Goa'uld genetic knowledge, she approached me about being the one to provide the DNA. I, uh . . . reacted really badly. I had a flashback to the incident with Hathor, and I sort of panicked for a second. I just about flew across the room as far from her as I could get. She didn't understand why I reacted that way. She thought it was because I found her repulsive. I couldn't let her believe that, so I told her what happened. She was pretty angry. I think she'd have happily torn Hathor to shreds at that moment, if she could have. It was the next day that I found out that she was in love with me."

Jack remained silent, absorbing the confirmation of the Goa'uld queen's feelings for Daniel.

"She'd told me that she wouldn't ask me again to be the donor, that she'd find somebody else instead, so, every day after that, I kept expecting her to tell me that she'd spawned the Tok'ra, but she never did. Looking back on it now and knowing how she felt about me, I realize that it probably wasn't happening because she didn't want to have sex with another guy, just like I hadn't want to be with another woman besides Sha're. Stupidly, that thought never even occurred to me back then." He shook his head at his own idiocy and sighed. "It was six days later that Spurius killed me. My body wasn't found until noon the next day. From what I heard, when Egeria saw me, she fell apart. She thought I'd been killed earlier than I was, that it was too late to save me with the sarcophagus. There is a time limit, you know."

"Yeah, I know," Jack said. He didn't want to think about how close Daniel had come to being permanently dead.

Daniel continued. "Once she realized that I might have died later than she had believed, she had me put in the sarcophagus, and it revived me." He paused for several seconds. "That evening, she called me to her private chambers. She let her host have control, and Arria completely broke down. She threw herself into my arms and started babbling about me not leaving them. Egeria had to take back control. Then she confessed how much it hurt when she thought she'd lost me." There was another, much longer pause. "She, um, kissed me and . . . lost control. It triggered the release of the drug. She didn't even realize that it had happened."

_'Damn,'_ Jack cursed silently.

"The stuff hit me like a freight train. It wasn't like what Hathor used. I think it must have been pure pheromone. I'm, uh . . . pretty sure you can guess what happened next."

"Yeah."

"When I woke up a few hours later, I thought that Egeria had betrayed me, that she did it deliberately. When she realized what had happened, what she'd done, she was utterly horrified. She tried to explain, but I was hurting too much. Afterwards, she was so wracked with guilt. She thought that she'd destroyed everything, every bit of respect and trust I had in her. She was so upset that she didn't go out in the sun. By the time her Lo'taur came and got me, she was in agony. As she recovered we talked, and I let her know that I still respected her. Even so, she was desperate to atone for what she'd done."

Even though Jack understood that it had not been intentional, he was still angry at Egeria for what she did, for the way she hurt Daniel. Why was it that things like this kept happening to him?

There was a very long moment of silence. Jack knew that there was more to the story, so he stayed put, giving his friend the time he needed to say the rest.

At last, Daniel started speaking again. "I, um, decided that, though there wasn't anything that could be done to fully repair our relationship, there was at least something that could be done to make what happened have some meaning. I told her to use my DNA for the Tok'ra larvae. I don't know how many were spawned with it, at least several hundred . . . including Selmak."

Whoa. Okay, this Jack had not seen coming. After what happened with Hathor, he would never have guessed that Daniel would willingly allow his DNA to be used to create symbiotes, not even Tok'ra symbiotes.

Jack being the kind of man he was, he couldn't help but think about the humorous side of this, especially the part about Daniel being, from a certain point of view, Selmak's papa, but humor was definitely not the right thing to be feeling now.

"The next day, Egeria took me to see the larvae, and we talked some more," Daniel said. "I really hadn't lost my respect for her. I didn't lie about that. But I _had_ lost something else. Though I still trusted her in most ways, I knew that I would never be able to trust being in a situation with her where what happened before might happen again."

"Wouldn't you have been immune like you and I were to Hathor's stuff when we ran into her again?"

Daniel shook his head. "There was no guarantee of that. It doesn't always happen." He finally turned around to face Jack. "It was then that Egeria set me free. When I asked her why, she said that it was because she loved me and couldn't bear it if she hurt me again."

That last sentenced softened Jack's opinion of the woman. She'd done the right thing in the end.

He got up from his chair. He really didn't know what to say. What do you say to your best friend when you've learned that, yet again, he was drugged into having sex with a woman he'd never have done that with while in his right mind? At least, this time, it wasn't rape.

Unknown to both men, just outside the door, Sam stood leaning against the wall, crying. She'd come to say good night to Daniel and had overheard nearly all of his confession about what happened to him. Her heart ached for him, understanding how much it must have hurt. Sam suspected that this was what he talked to Egeria about when he was ascended.

Looking at it from a woman's point of view, Sam wondered about what this had done to Egeria. She knew how _she'd_ feel if it had been _her_. She would be so riddled with guilt that she'd have a hard time living with herself.

Inside the office, Daniel spoke again.

"I'm okay about it all now, and, no, I'm not just saying that. It really wasn't like what happened with Hathor. What Hathor did to me was cruel and ugly. She used me to get what she wanted without any remorse. What happened with Egeria wasn't that way. It wasn't cruel, and it wasn't something ugly. Yes, it hurt at the time it happened, but it stopped hurting a long time ago. I know that, if I had loved her like she loved me, it wouldn't have taken her pheromone for me to make love to her. In fact, if I _had_ loved her and had known that she felt the same when she asked me to be the one to provide the DNA, I'd probably have said yes."

Jack was surprised yet again by that last admission. But then again, maybe he shouldn't be surprised. Daniel would do just about anything for the people he loved.

"I'm pretty tired, Jack, so I'm going to head on home."

"Yeah. Okay." Jack paused a few seconds. "If, sometime, you'd like to, uh . . . you know . . . talk some more . . . or something, you can come over for a beer or whatever . . . if you want."

Daniel nodded slightly. "Thanks."

With a little nod of his own, Jack turned and left the office.

* * *

Since Jack now knew the truth about what happened with Egeria, the archeologist decided that his other teammates might as well be told as well, especially since he was almost certain that Sam had already guessed most of it. He told each of them separately. Teal'c listened mostly in silence, his understanding of the pain Daniel had felt showing in his deep brown eyes. Sam surprised Daniel with a tight hug and a confession that she'd heard the conversation between him and Jack.

The astrophysicist had been unable to learn very much from the CT scan she did of the orb. Unfortunately, an MRI, which would probably have revealed more, would not be possible because it looked like there might be metal components inside the globe. With more than a little reluctance she boxed it up in preparation for it being shipped to Area 51 for further study.

Four days later, SG-1 was back in the briefing room with Hammond, prepping for another mission, this one to the planet to which Egeria had sent her human subjects.

"What can you tell us about this planet, Doctor Jackson?" the general asked.

Daniel told Hammond and his team what he knew about the planet and all the preparations that were made for Estrania's population to be moved there.

"Judging by the size of the population that must have lived in that city on Estrania, we could be talking about millions of people now," Sam said.

Daniel nodded. "There's no telling what the culture would be like now, that is if it still exists. It could have stuck to its Roman roots or gone off in a completely different direction."

"What of the Ancient ruins?" Hammond questioned.

"Well, back then, I didn't have the knowledge of the Ancient language that I do now, so I understood only part of the little bit of text that I read, which appeared to be historical information. I didn't have the opportunity to read much. The ruins were not extensive, so I'm pretty sure they're not the Lost City, but it's possible that there is information there that will lead us in the right direction."

"All right. Go ahead and gear up. If we can establish a wormhole, we'll send a MALP through."

A while later, SG-1 stood in the control room as the address was dialed. With each chevron that encoded, Daniel's heart beat a little faster. He might soon be meeting the descendants of the people with whom he'd spent some of the most extraordinary months of his life. The ideal image in his mind was of a peaceful, thriving civilization that had grown into a technologically advanced society. The flip side of the coin was a world with the ruins of a dead culture that vanished centuries ago.

When the final chevron locked and the Stargate burst to life, Daniel gave a silent cheer that the gate had apparently been unburied. He watched as the MALP made its slow way up the ramp, then disappeared through the event horizon. His eyes turned to the screen that would show the video transmission.

"MALP has reached the destination," the technician announced. "Receiving telemetry."

An image came up on the screen of the inside of a dimly lit structure. Straight ahead was a tall, narrow staircase, a hint of light at the top. After descending the dais, the MALP moved around the gate, the camera panning to show the rest of the room, revealing nothing but high walls with no openings.

"That's interesting," Daniel remarked. "When I was there, the gate was not in a building, so it must have been moved there, and it looks like the building was built below ground level. I wonder why they did that."

Sam studied the image on the screen. "That staircase is too narrow and steep to get the MALP up it, so we're not going to be able to see what's up there, unless we go through."

Everyone turned to General Hammond.

"Very well," he said. "You have a go."

SG-1 went down to the gate room.

"So, are you excited?" Sam asked Daniel, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah. I can't stop thinking about what we might find there."

With Jack and Teal'c in the lead, the four people ascended the ramp and stepped through the gate. Seconds later, they were coming out the other side. As they reached the bottom of the dais, the gate shut down, the only light in the chamber now being provided by small fixtures on the walls.

They made their way to the staircase, Jack and Teal'c still in the lead. Cautiously, they took the steps, the staircase so narrow that they had to go up one at a time. The higher they climbed, the brighter it got until they could see the doorway at the top. Finally, Jack, Teal'c, Daniel and, last, Sam reached the top.

"Wow," Sam and Daniel both murmured.

The city was like Ancient Rome on steroids. That was the best description Daniel could come up with as he gaped at the sight. Many of the buildings they could see were far taller than any that the Romans ever built, constructed with massive columns to support the weight. Though they could only see a limited distance, it was easy to tell that the city was huge. It was also in pristine condition. These were not ruins they were looking at.

"Um . . . where are all the people?" Jack asked.

That's when it dawned on Daniel that there was not a soul in sight, though he could see the signs that there had been people there just a short while ago.

Jack's question was partially answered when ten men with rifles suddenly surrounded them. Daniel's three teammates responded by aiming their own weapons. Seeing that this could very quickly degenerate into a complete meltdown, Daniel hurriedly stepped forward, empty hands raised.

"Whoa! Stop! Stop!" he cried. He looked around at the men until he saw someone who, judging by the differences in his uniform, looked like he might have some authority. "Can you understand me?" he asked.

"We understand your words," the man replied, his hard gaze never wavering.

"We are not your enemies. We're here in peace."

The man pointed at Teal'c. "That one is a Jaffa. All Jaffa who do not bear the mark of Egeria are enemies."

"Um, well, at one time, that was true, but a lot has changed lately. This is Teal'c. He has rebelled against the Goa'uld and now fights with us against them. We're here as your friends."

The archeologist noticed that one of the other men was staring at him rather strangely.

"I know your face," the man said. "It is familiar." His eyes widened. "Yours is the face on the statue guarded by the House of Aurelius, the one Egeria herself commanded be protected!"

Jack was instantly very interested. "Statue, you say."

Daniel was busy groaning on the inside. He now knew what had become of the other statue of him. During the evacuation, Egeria must have given it to Titus, whose family name was Aurelius, and told him to keep it safe.

The man's next words made Daniel realize that this situation might be more serious than simply a source of embarrassment.

"You are Daniel, the one who brought life back to a drowned child and rose from the dead!"

"Oh, boy," the archeologist murmured under his breath. This was really not good.

"But it has been two thousand years, and you have not aged." The man's voice dropped to an awed whisper. "Are you now a god?"

That succeeded in making all the others shift nervously, several murmurs arising.

"Ummm . . . okay, look," Daniel said. "I do admit that I am Daniel, and that statue is of me, but I'm not a god. I'm not even two thousand years old. This may be hard for you to comprehend, but I have traveled through time. I traveled back in time two thousand years, where I met Egeria and lived for a while with her subjects, then I came back to this time, the time in which I was born."

"But only a god could do such a thing," another man said.

Jack leaned toward Daniel and murmured under his breath. "Your little revelation doesn't seem to have changed the situation much."

Ignoring him, Daniel said to the natives, "No, I traveled through time using a device, a piece of technology built a long time ago by an ancient race. There is nothing magical about it or me. I'm just a man, just like you."

The men all looked at each other, then slowly lowered their weapons.

The first man spoke. "If you are truly Daniel, and all the things written about you in the legend are true, then this Jaffa with you must be a good man."

Jack was now sporting a little smile. "Legend, you say."

_'I am never going to hear the end of this,'_ Daniel silently sighed.

The man Daniel had pegged as someone in authority stepped forward and bowed slightly. "I am Enlus. I apologize for the greeting. When the warning came that the portal had been activated, we feared that the evil Goa'uld had come at last. We have worried for many centuries that they would come, ever since we chose to reopen the portal."

"Why did you do that? Didn't Egeria tell you to bury it so that you'd be safe?"

"Yes, and it was kept buried for many centuries, but then the plague came."

"Excuse me?" said Jack, suddenly nervous. "Plague?"

Enlus nodded. "A terrible sickness that killed without mercy. It killed seven in ten, decimating our civilization. Some hoped that, if the portal was opened, Egeria would come and banish the sickness, so it was unburied. But the sickness raged on. By the time it was gone, most of our world's people lay dead."

Thinking that this was a lot like what happened when the Black Death decimated Europe in the fourteenth century, Daniel said, "I am so sorry to hear about this. If Egeria could have come, I know she would have."

Enlus nodded. He turned to one of the others and said, "Give the all clear signal."

The man lifted a horn to his lips and blew a long, loud note, followed by two short ones, then another long note. Seconds later, people began appearing from where they had apparently been hiding.

"Come," Enlus said. "We will take you to the House of Magistrates so that they may meet you."

Daniel smiled. "You have executive magistrates?"

"Yes, nine men and women who establish the laws."

"You don't have a king or queen?"

"No. The highest authority is the Chief Magistrate. It was agreed by all that no monarch would ever rule us except Egeria."

As they walked, Daniel looked about, his eyes taking in everything. Though they were far from being skyscrapers, the buildings were amazing, tall, massive things that would impress any architect and probably have the jaw of many archeologists hitting the ground. Daniel also noted that there were many trees and small grassy areas with flowers, like little parks, something that no Ancient Roman city had.

As for the people, though hints of the Roman style of clothing were still evident in what they wore, it had advanced to much more practical apparel, men wearing loose trousers with a belted, tunic-like shirt and women in comfortable-looking dresses the length of which varied from all the way to the ankles to around halfway up the calves.

"You know, after two thousand years of not having the Goa'uld around, I'd have thought they'd be a little more advanced," murmured Jack's low voice.

That's when it occurred to Daniel that there were no signs of advanced technology, no motor vehicles, no electronic devices, nor anything else. Everyone was on foot, on horseback, or in carts or carriages, except for the few Daniel saw riding three-wheeled bicycles – or, more accurately tricycles – made of wood and metal, which looked rather strange against the Ancient Roman backdrop.

"The plague is probably the reason for the lack of significant technological advancement," he responded. "If they lost over two-thirds of the planet's population, it would have been a devastating blow that would have taken generations to recover from and seriously slowed their advancement, perhaps even setting it back several decades, especially if they lost most of their learned men and inventors. They do have those rifles, and the lights in the building with the Stargate were not using fire, so they have some other form of energy for lighting. Even discounting the plague, the kind of technological advancement that took place on Earth isn't always going to happen, regardless of how much time passes. Look at the people on Cimmeria. Even though they'd been there at least since the eleventh century, protected from the Goa'uld, their society hadn't advanced at all from that of the ancient Norse people who were their ancestors. In fact, from what we've seen, significant technological advancement appears to be the exception rather than the rule."

Just then, they came around a corner and almost stopped in their tracks at the sight of what stood before them. The train, which had only three cars attached to the engine, appeared to be steam-powered. It was constructed of wood, bronze and iron and looked as if it was used only for transporting people.

"Okay, this makes sense," Daniel said. "They have rifles that look like they're lever-action, they have a form of bicycle, and they have trains. On Earth, all those things were invented in the nineteenth century. It wouldn't surprise me if we saw some other steam-powered vehicles."

"So, their level of technology is equivalent to nineteenth century Earth," Sam said.

"At least with some things. If the lights run on electricity, that was also a nineteenth century invention."

The men with SG-1 led them up to the train.

"We will ride this the rest of the way to the House of Magistrates," Enlus explained. "It will make a few stops along the way."

SG-1, Enlus and three of the others got on the train. A couple of minutes later, it left the station and slowly began winding its way through the city. It stopped periodically at places that looked more like bus stops than train depots to pick up or let off passengers.

"Well, this is different," Daniel remarked. "Trains on Earth were invented to carry passengers and cargo long distances. They weren't used for intercity transportation until a great deal later in history, with the invention of elevated trains and subways."

At last, they came to a stop near an imposing structure that Daniel guessed was the House of Magistrates. Sure enough, Enlus stood and told them that this was where they got off.

They went through the doors of the building and into a large entrance hall. Straight ahead were massive double doors that Daniel guessed was where the magistrates convened. There were other doors visible, as well as two wide staircases that went up to the second floor.

Telling SG-1 to wait, Enlus went to speak to a guard who stood outside the double doors. After a short conversation, during which the guard looked at SG-1 more than once, Enlus disappeared through the doors. He came back out around ten minutes later and returned to SG-1.

"The magistrates will speak with you now."


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

With Enlus in the lead, SG-1 went into the chambers. Directly before them on a platform was a large, curved desk behind which sat seven men and two women. Below the desks was an empty row of seats facing outward that Daniel thought might be for other government officials. Most of the rest of the room was taken up with seating that Daniel assumed was for the public. It, too, was empty.

As SG-1 approached the desk, one of the magistrates, a distinguished-looking man who appeared to be around sixty, focused his gaze upon Daniel, his eyes widening slightly. As SG-1 came to a halt, he got up, moved around the desk, and descended the steps. He came right up to Daniel, his eyes never leaving the archeologist's face.

"It is as if the statue has been transformed to flesh and blood," he murmured. "You are truly Daniel, the man in whose image it was made?"

"Well, the face is mine, but the sculptor took a few, uh, liberties with the body." Daniel ignored the little snort that Jack let out.

Another one of the magistrates, a balding man in his mid-fifties, had come down and was also looking at Daniel. His expression, however, was one of suspicion.

"How do we know that you speak the truth?" he asked. "You could merely be someone who wishes to use your resemblance to Daniel for some purpose."

"Well, I can answer whatever questions you have about the creation of that statue and the other one like it," Daniel replied, hoping that he was not asked anything about the garden itself. He was still determined to keep Jack from learning that story.

The older man studied Daniel closely. "Where in Egeria's palace were the statues kept?"

"They were decorating the top of an entryway that I designed for the west garden."

The man nodded slightly. "What was the name of the sculptor for whom you posed?"

"I _didn't_ pose. Egeria had the statues made without my knowledge using some images she secretly took of me. I didn't know about them until I saw them on the entryway, which was . . . rather embarrassing."

The elderly man smiled slightly at Daniel's comment. He turned to the other man. "These things are not public knowledge. They are known only to members of my family."

Daniel looked at the man more closely. "Are you a member of the House of Aurelius?"

"I am indeed. I am Marcus Aurelius."

Daniel smiled. "I knew your ancestor, Titus. He was a thirteen-year-old boy back then. I'm assuming that he's the one Egeria gave the statue to."

"He is. She charged him with the duty of keeping it safe, which he did, passing down the duty to each generation of his family. I trace my lineage directly from him." He returned his gaze to his fellow magistrate. "I am satisfied that he is Daniel. I will hear no more talk that he is not." He rested a hand on Daniel's arm. "Come. We will speak with you and your companions in the meeting chamber." He looked at the man who'd brought them. "Thank you, Enlus, for carrying out your duty with skill and courage. You and your men are to be commended. You may go now."

Enlus bowed his head and left the chamber.

SG-1 and all of the magistrates went through one of the doors in the left wall. Beyond was a room with a large round table.

Once everyone was seated and introductions had been made, Marcus, who was the Chief Magistrate, turned his clear blue gaze fully upon Daniel.

"We were told by Enlus that you have traveled through time, that the time you were in Egeria's domain was not the era of your birth."

"That's right. I had accidentally been sent back in time. After Egeria freed me, I was able to return to my time. That was less than three years ago."

"This thing that sent you through time was not a power of the Goa'uld?" asked a man named Vitus.

"No, it was created by a much older race," Sam answered, "one even more technologically advanced than the Goa'uld."

"For what reason have you come to our world?" asked one of the female magistrates.

"Well, one of the main reasons was to meet you," Daniel replied. "I spent several months with the people of Estrania, and I very much wanted to see the people who descended from them and the civilization they built. Your city is magnificent, a great achievement of architecture. I was very sorry to hear about the plague, though. I can imagine how difficult it must have been for your society to recover from it."

"Yes, it was a dark time in our history," Marcus said. "If it were not for the strength and determination of our forebears, our civilization would have surely been lost."

"Another reason why we came is that there were some ruins southwest of where the Stargate used to be. If they're still there, I want to take a look at them. I can read the language, and I want to see what the text says."

"The ruins are still there. Egeria commanded that we leave them untouched."

"After two thousand years you still do what she told you to?" Jack asked.

A man named Appius stared at Jack. "Egeria was the queen and god of our ancestors. She created their laws and ruled justly, with kindness and wisdom. To protect them from the evil Goa'uld, she brought them here and made sure that they had all they needed to survive. If it were not for her, none of us would exist. This city would not exist. We honor her by abiding by her wishes and commands. Why should we do any less?"

"I know she would be honored that you do so, Appius," Daniel said.

Sam glanced at her watch. "Colonel, we need to get back to the gate for our scheduled check-in. As it is, we're probably going to be late."

"Right." Jack turned to the magistrates. "We have to get back to the Stargate, or portal, or whatever it is that you call it and contact our planet, let them know that everything is okay. They get kind of antsy if we don't call."

Marcus nodded. "Of course. I will order a carriage to take you. It will get you there more quickly."

"Jack, I'd like to stay," Daniel said. "It'll give me a chance to find out some things about their history."

"And I have some questions as well, sir," Sam added.

"All right. You two can stay here, and Teal'c and I will check in with Hammond. We'll come back here when we're done."

"Are you going to request that we stay overnight?" Daniel asked.

"Since I doubt very much that we're going to get out of here before nightfall, yes, that's what I figured I'd be doing."

While Jack and Teal'c were gone, Daniel found out more about the history of the planet since Egeria brought the people here. In turn, once Daniel revealed that they were from the first world, the birth place of their original ancestors, he was asked a lot of question about what it was like now. Sam asked about the technology, and what she learned confirmed that they were at a level roughly equivalent to Earth's nineteenth century. Therefore, it was unlikely that SG-1 would find anything of a technological nature that would be of interest to Earth.

Not surprisingly, SG-1's weapons were of great interest to the magistrates, and Sam explained briefly how they worked. Though none of the magistrates asked if Earth might be willing to work out some kind of trade in exchange for weapons, the look on the faces of a few of the men led the major to believe that they'd really love to get their hands on some.

Right after Jack and Teal'c returned, the meeting was called to an end.

"I would be honored if you would stay as guests in my home," Marcus said. He smiled at Daniel. "My grandchildren would be delighted to meet you in the flesh. They have all read the stories about you."

"Stories?" Jack asked with far too much interest to suit Daniel.

"Yes. Titus wrote many stories about Daniel's deeds and adventures."

Jack was almost grinning. "Oh, _really_. Well, we'll have to hear all about those."

Daniel groaned silently, not at all looking forward to that.

Marcus' home turned out to be a huge mansion in which all his children and grandchildren lived. From the moment that SG-1 walked in the door, it seemed like every single person they saw gaped at Daniel. That was bad enough, but when word began to spread that the man of the stories and legends was actually there in the flesh, everybody just had to come see. It was all extremely disconcerting to the archeologist. Jack thought it was just plain funny.

After showing them the rooms that would be theirs for the night, Marcus told them that he had to return to his duties.

"I will have a driver available to you in case there is anywhere that you would like to go," he said. He then handed Daniel a thin square of silver engraved with a design that Daniel guessed was some kind of family crest or seal. "Simply show that to any merchant or eating establishment, and you will be given whatever you desire."

"That really isn't necessary, Marcus. We have food with us that we can eat."

"I insist. It is no more than I would do for any guests staying in my home."

"Well, then thank you."

The man inclined his head. "I will return before the evening meal."

SG-1 decided to go on a little tour of the city, though Jack insisted on calling it "reconnaissance." Daniel chose not to point out that reconnaissance was generally not done in a horse-drawn carriage.

Both Daniel and Sam quite enjoyed the carriage ride. Jack got bored after the first hour. It was impossible to tell how Teal'c felt.

From the driver they learned that the planet had been named Egerania, a combination of the name of their queen and the world from which the people had come.

They ate lunch at one of the many restaurants in the city. Daniel was surprised to see that they actually had menus, which he and Teal'c had to translate for their teammates.

"What, no pasta?" Jack asked. "I thought this place was Roman. Isn't that Italy?"

"Contrary to popular belief, pasta did not originate with the Italians, Jack. It was first invented by the Chinese. Nor did Marco Polo introduce it to Italy. There is a lot of speculation on when the Italians first started making pasta and from whom they got the idea, although the majority of food historians believe that they got it from the Arabs, which would have happened a long time after Egeria took the ancestors of these people from Earth."

"Well, that's a disappointment. I had a yen for some spaghetti. I suppose they don't have pizza either."

"Nope. Sorry."

Jack did manage to find something on the menu that sounded good. As they ate, Daniel and Sam filled their teammates in on what they'd learned.

"Teal'c and I found out something, too," the colonel said. "We know why the gate is in that underground building. After they unburied it and decided to keep it unburied, they figured that they needed some safeguards in case the Goa'uld showed up. In case of attack through the gate, a big iron door seals the entrance, and then the whole place fills up with sand."

"Which would not only kill anyone who already came through but would also prevent the gate from connecting again," Sam said.

"Wow. That's impressive," Daniel remarked. "That's definitely not the way that the ancient Romans would have handled the situation."

"They'd have just sent the army in to kick the Jaffas' asses?" Jack asked.

"Basically, yes. I guess we're lucky that they didn't fill the place with sand when we arrived."

"They probably wanted to see who had come calling first." Jack took another bite of his lunch. "So, how come we're understanding everybody?"

"What do you mean?"

"All of the people on Estrania spoke Goa'uld, didn't they? That universal translator thingamajig in the Stargate never seems to work on Goa'uld, so why did it this time?"

"It probably didn't. Estrania's population was bilingual. Every person was taught two languages: Goa'uld and Latin. These people are probably speaking Latin."

"Egeria could speak Latin, too?" Sam asked.

Daniel nodded. "As well as several other languages, including Abydonian. I'd have much rather used Abydonian, but Egeria preferred Goa'uld. I certainly did expand my Goa'uld vocabulary while I was there, which was a good thing. It really helped when I went to the Goa'uld summit."

After the meal, Daniel figured that they should probably take a look at the Ancient ruins and see how well they'd survived the last two thousand years.

When the carriage reached the edge of the city, Daniel was quite surprised to discover that, not only had the ruins been left untouched, but so had most of the meadow where the Stargate used to be, the meadow where Egeria had gathered her flowers. The city came to an end right around where Daniel believed the gate had been. Beyond that, little had changed since he was there last.

The carriage took them all the way to the ruins. As they approached it, Daniel could see that the structures had suffered somewhat in the two thousand years that had passed since he was here. There had been a few more collapses, and some portions had been completely reclaimed by the local flora – including the blue-flowered vine.

Sam smiled upon seeing the vines. "Hey! Is this where those flowers originally came from?"

"Uh, yeah," Daniel replied. "We found them when Egeria and I were here. She really liked them, so we dug up a few and brought them back with us."

"Then you really _were_ one of the people who discovered it. I was only joking about that before when I was coming up with names for it."

Jack's interest was caught by that. "So, what name did you come up with?"

Sam began to reply, but then she saw the look on Daniel's face. "Um . . . I respectfully refuse to answer that question, sir."

Jack looked at her, then at Daniel. He really thought about making her answer, but decided to be nice for a change and give Daniel a break . . . at least for a while.

SG-1 headed to one of the structures that was still mostly intact, and Daniel began scanning the text.

"Well, from what I can see, this was some sort of learning center," the archeologist announced after around fifteen minutes.

"You mean like a college?" Sam asked.

"No, I think it was for younger children, maybe early to mid-teens. You know, it's possible that there are more ruins here somewhere. If this was a school, it would make sense that there would have been habitations."

For the first time since they arrived at the ruins, Jack showed some interest. "You mean like a city?"

"It's possible. It could be just over that nearby ridge."

Sam turned to her C.O. "Sir, it might be a good idea to send a UAV through, check out the entire area."

Jack nodded. "I'll suggest it to Hammond in the morning."

Daniel pulled out his video camera and began recording the writing. As the others did a quick recon of the ruins, he filmed as much as he could of the text for later translation. He hadn't even gotten a tenth of the way through when his teammates returned, and Jack said it was time to go.

"Don't worry, Daniel," the colonel told him. "You'll have lots more time here tomorrow. I told Hammond that we'd probably be here all day tomorrow as well. Of course, if the UAV finds something of interest, we might be here even longer."

Getting back into the carriage, the members of SG-1 all wondered if they might have stumbled upon the location of the Lost City they'd been searching for all these months.

* * *

Dinner that evening took place at an enormous table that seated the whole family, except for the youngest children, who sat at a separate table with a nanny. All the members of SG-1 were peppered with questions, though it was Daniel and Teal'c who got the most. The kids were fascinated by the Jaffa and wanted to know all about the Goa'uld. As for Daniel, they were just plain in awe of him, or, more accurately, that he really was the Daniel they'd heard stories about since they were small.

"Yes, about those stories," Jack said. "I'd sure love to hear some of them."

"Jack, I really don't think we need to hear them," Daniel responded. "I know what I did while I was on Estrania, and most of it was in my report."

"Ah, but, Daniel, I'm sure that Titus' stories are much more interesting than a dry, factual report."

"After the meal is over, I will take you to the library, where you can read them," Marcus said.

The library turned out to be pretty extensive, and Daniel was sure that there were a lot of things in it that he'd much rather have read than the stories about him. Unfortunately, Jack was not going to give him that option.

Marcus brought over a beautiful leather book. He handed it to Daniel.

"Never could I have imagined that I would be placing that book into the hands of the man about whom it was written," he said with a smile tinged with wonder. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have some things to which I must attend. All of you please feel free to look at any book here in the library." He left the room, quietly closing the door behind him.

"So, open it up, Daniel," Jack instructed. "You're not getting out if this, so you might as well give in."

With a sigh, the archeologist opened the book, very glad that Jack couldn't read Goa'uld. He was even more glad after he'd begun skimming through the stories.

"But these are all wrong!" he cried. "The stuff didn't happen this way at all! The girl that nearly drowned in the river, all I did was CPR, but this makes it sound like I used magical powers." He turned a few pages and pointed at another section. "This one is about my death and being brought back to life. I told Titus how I was revived, that it was done with a machine, but he's got here that I was resurrected by the gods so that I could continue to battle against evil." He flipped back and forth through the book's pages. "And then there's the stuff with Herminius, and Secundus, and everything else. It reads like some Greek or Roman tale of a mighty hero on a quest for knowledge and the destruction of evil."

"I believe they call that creative license, don't they?" Jack responded, totally straight-faced.

Daniel focused a glare upon him. "Funny, Jack."

"So, come on. Start reading it to us."

Daniel closed the book with a snap. "No way, Jack. I am not reading this thing to you guys." He focused a hard gaze on Teal'c. "And neither are you."

"Ah, come on, Daniel," Jack said. "You can't leave us in suspense."

"Yes, I can. If you want to see what it says, then you're going to have to learn Goa'uld."

Jack almost pouted. "You're not playing fair."

"I don't care. If you hadn't refused to even try to learn how to read Goa'uld when I told you that it would be a good idea, you'd be able to read it yourself."

Sam smiled slightly. She could understand why Daniel wouldn't want to read the book to them. He'd probably die of embarrassment. She knew that _she_ would if she were in his place.

The astrophysicist's smile instantly died when her C.O. turned to her.

"Hey, you can read Goa'uld, can't you?" he asked.

"I only know some of the most common dialect, sir. That book's in a dialect that I don't know."

Now, it was Daniel who had a little smile on his face. "Which means that you can't order her to read it to you." He very decisively returned the book to its place in the bookcase. "Give it up, Jack. You'll just have to be content with my report."

"Fine," Jack groused. "If that's the way you're going to be about it, then you can just go off and do whatever."

It being a nice evening, Sam decided to go for a walk, whereas Daniel selected a couple of books to take to his room. As he left the library, he failed to see Jack grab the book about him and hide it under his jacket.

Motioning to Teal'c to follow him, Jack went up to his room. Once the door was shut, he handed the book to the Jaffa.

"Read," he said.

"Daniel Jackson does not wish the contents of this book to be read aloud."

"What he doesn't know won't hurt him."

Teal'c frowned. "You are suggesting that I go against his wishes, then deceive him by not revealing what I have done?"

"I'm not asking you to lie to him, Teal'c, just to not tell him that you read it."

His frown deepening, Teal'c firmly laid the book down on the bedside table. "I will not betray Daniel Jackson's trust by performing such an act."

"Oh, for cryin' out loud, T. It's just a book of stories. You act like I'm asking you to sell him out to the Goa'uld."

"Nevertheless, it would be a betrayal."

_'Crap,'_ Jack cursed silently. "I suppose it wouldn't do any good to make it an order."

"It would not."

Jack glared at him. "Teal'c, you can be just as bad as Daniel sometimes." He made a shooing gesture. "Go on, then. Out. I might as well just go to bed early since there's nothing else for me to do around here." What Jack was _really_ thinking about doing was finding someone else in this place who'd read the book to him.

Teal'c took a couple of steps toward the door, then paused, returned to where he'd laid the book, and picked it up.

Now it was Jack who was frowning. "Where are you taking that?"

"To my room, where it will remain until morning."

"Now, wait one second. You won't read it to me, but you're going to read it yourself?"

"I am not, O'Neill. However, it has occurred to me that there are others in this house to whom you may go for a translation of this book."

Jack pretended to be affronted. "Teal'c! Do you really think I'd do that?"

"Are you saying that you would not?"

Faced with that cocked eyebrow and piercing gaze, all Jack could manage was, "Well, I, uhhh. . . ."

Smiling ever so slightly, Teal'c wished Jack good night and left.

"Damn," the colonel muttered. Uttering a loud sigh of defeat, he began getting ready for bed.

* * *

The next morning, as SG-1 headed down the stairs to breakfast, Jack held back, holding Teal'c's arm to prevent him from continuing forward.

"So, where's the book?" the colonel whispered as soon as Daniel and Sam were out of earshot.

"I returned it to the library upon arising one hour ago."

Jack stared at him. "Admit it. You peeked."

"I did not peek."

"Not even a little?"

"No."

"Well, you've got a lot more self-control than me."

"This I already knew, O'Neill."

As the Jaffa continued down the stairs, Jack called out, "Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

After breakfast, the team went to the gate to talk to Hammond about sending through a UAV.

"Obviously, you couldn't fly it through the gate," Sam said, "but we could set up a launcher on this end."

"We're going to have to tell the people here what we're doing first," Daniel stated. "They have no flying craft, so the UAV might be pretty shocking to them."

"All right, we will see about getting a UAV and launching platform through the gate to you," Hammond responded. "In the meantime, prepare the inhabitants for what they can expect."

SG-1 returned to the House of Magistrates. They had to wait half an hour, then were taken straight to the meeting room. Only four of the magistrates joined them.

SG-1 explained about the UAV, immediately piquing the interest of the four men.

"Some of our inventors have experimented with flying craft," Marcus said, "but they have had little success."

At that moment, a man came bursting into the room.

"My deepest apologies, magistrates," he said a little breathlessly. He turned to Marcus. "Chief Magistrate, there is dire news from your home. One of your grandchildren has fallen gravely ill."

Marcus leapt to his feet. "I must go at once." He turned to SG-1. "You will have to excuse me."

"We'll go with you," Jack said. "We might be able to help."

There was anguish on the faces of everyone they saw in Marcus' house. The fear in the place was palpable.

They rushed to one of the bedrooms. Inside were Marcus' wife, Aemilia, his son, Lucius, and Lucius' wife, Flavia, as well as a man that SG-1 guessed was a doctor. The doctor was bent over a seven-year-old girl whose name was Patricia.

As soon as she saw her husband, Aemilia ran forward and threw herself into his arms.

"It is the sickness, Marcus," she sobbed. "It is the sickness."

Marcus' face went pale, his eyes darkening with grief.

"What sickness?" Daniel asked.

Marcus turned tear-filled eyes to him. "It is an illness that has struck many, many times since the end of the plague. It always strikes young children, and none . . ." his voice wavered, "none ever survive. We have already lost one grandchild to it, as well as our firstborn son when he was only five years of age."

Jack frowned. "How many kids get this thing?"

"Approximately one in twenty."

"My God," Sam gasped, appalled by the thought of how many kids must die of the illness each year.

"Marcus, we have medicines and other medical treatments on Earth that might be able to help," Daniel said urgently. "We'd have to take Patricia through the gate to our world, but it may save her life."

A small spark of hope lit within the Chief Magistrate's eyes. "If there is some way that you can save her, then please take her. I will travel with you. I need only make arrangements for Iulius to take over the duties as Chief Magistrate while I am gone."

The man placed a call upon a telephone-like device and spoke for a few minutes with someone.

"It is done," he said after hanging up.

Patricia was carried downstairs by her father and placed in a carriage. The girl's mother, refusing to leave her daughter's side, got in as well, along with Marcus and the doctor. SG-1 got in a second carriage.

The ride to the Stargate was made quickly. Daniel ran down the stairs ahead of the others and dialed out. He was already explaining the situation to Hammond by the time all of the others were there.

"Before I can allow the child to be brought through, I need to know if this illness is contagious," the general said.

"It must not be, General. If it was, it would have turned into a pandemic a very long time ago. Marcus says that around one in twenty children have been getting it ever since the plaque that decimated the population, which happened around five hundred years ago."

"Very well. Bring her on through, then. We will have to keep her isolated, though, and restrict contact with her."

A minute later, SG-1 came through with Patricia, Marcus and Flavia. The medical team soon arrived. Janet had the girl laid upon the gurney and did a brief exam, asking the girl's mother and grandfather several questions. Patricia was then taken to the infirmary.

Two hours later, their own post-mission exams and the debriefing complete, SG-1 went to check on the child. They found Janet in the main ward, looking at some test results.

"How's Patricia?" Daniel asked.

The doctor let out a sigh. "Not good, I'm afraid. I'm just getting some of the blood work back now, so it's too soon for me to tell you what's causing this. I've put top priority on all the tests, so, hopefully, I'll have some answers soon."

"Do you think you're going to be able to help her?" Jack asked.

"It way too soon to tell. As soon as I know more, I'll let you know."

SG-1 went to the isolation room. Flavia was sitting beside her daughter, Marcus standing on the other side, stroking his grandchild's hair. He looked up as SG-1 entered.

"Your Doctor Fraiser says that she will do all she can for Patricia."

"Janet is the best there is, Marcus," Sam told him. "If anyone can help Patricia, she can."

The man's eyes returned to the little girl. "After the plague finally ended, our ancestors were determined not to let it defeat them. They cremated their dead and moved on. But then, not ten years later, the first child died from an illness that was like yet not like the plague. Many feared that the plague was returning. It did not, but progressively more children sickened and died. At last, someone thought to try the healing box."

"Wait a minute," Daniel said. "You have a sarcophagus?"

"Yes, Egeria left it in our care. She warned us never to use it except when someone was too sick or injured for the doctors to help and to never use it more than once on the same person unless several days had passed. She said that if we used it when we should not, it would cause the person's soul to become twisted and evil."

"So, what happened?" Jack asked.

"The thing you call a sarcophagus appeared to cure the sickness, so many more children were taken to it to be healed. But not a day after using it, the children became ill again, only it was different. They thrashed and screamed as if possessed by evil spirits. They had to be tied down to prevent them from hurting themselves and others."

"That sounds like sarcophagus withdrawal," Sam said in confusion. "But how could they have gotten addicted after just one use when they were ill?"

"Did they get better?" Daniel asked Marcus.

"No. Every child who was put in the box died in terrible agony."

"They couldn't survive the withdrawal," Sam murmured. "I wonder if something might be wrong with the sarcophagus."

Daniel nodded. "Could be." He turned to the Chief Magistrate. "Have your people ever used it for anything except trying to cure that illness?"

"On rare occasions, when there was no other hope."

"And the person was fine afterwards?"

"Yes."

Sam let out a sigh. "Which means that the problem can't be with the sarcophagus."

After leaving the isolation room, SG-1 told Janet what they'd learned.

"This leads me to believe that there is a connection between that plague and this illness," she said. "It may be that whatever caused the plague wasn't actually eradicated. It mutated into a different form, one that targets prepubescent children."

"But it's not affecting all the kids," Jack pointed out.

"There are many possible reasons for that, sir. It could be that the disease lies dormant in the body until something causes it to begin reproducing, or the children could be contracting it from something in their environment. If it's the former, it would mean that it's passed on to the child in the womb, just as some conditions here on Earth are."

"And what about the sarcophagus addiction?" Daniel asked.

"That I really can't say. I suppose it is possible that something about this disease dramatically increases the strength of the sarcophagus' negative effects, which results in instantaneous addiction." A nurse came over with some readouts. "I need to get back to work on this. I'll call a briefing when I have something to tell you."

It was nearly evening when they were called to the briefing room. Janet was there. The look on her face told them that she did not have good news.

"From the test results I've gotten back, there is definitely some kind of microorganism at work," she said after informing them that Patricia's condition was continuing to deteriorate. "It has characteristics of both a bacterium and a virus, but it's like nothing I've ever seen before. I am in the process of trying different antiviral and antibacterial medications, but I'm really just shooting in the dark, and I don't know if we're going to have enough time to find one that will work. All her organs are shutting down, and her brain activity is slowing. At this rate of deterioration, it is unlikely that she will survive more than a few days. According to Marcus, this disease always kills within three days, usually less. By at least treating the symptoms, I might be able to extend that a little, but not much."

Everyone at the table was dismayed by the news.

"Do what you can for her," Hammond said. "And if you need to consult some specialists, do so."

"Yes, sir."

As Daniel lay in bed that night, his mind was not just on Patricia, but also on all the other children of Egerania who were getting sick and dying every day. If only there was something he could do to help.


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

The next morning, Daniel went to the observation room that overlooked Patricia's room. He was joined a short while later by Janet, who looked like she'd been up all night.

"She slipped into a coma early this morning," the doctor announced sadly.

"Nothing you're doing is helping?"

"I'm afraid not. I've called another briefing."

An hour later, SG-1 was back in the briefing room to hear Janet's report.

"I'm afraid that nothing I've tried so far has done any good," she told them and Hammond. "This thing is resisting every drug I throw at it. The truth is that there may be no conventional treatment we have that will cure this disease."

"Then what about _un_conventional ones?" Daniel asked. "Marcus said that the sarcophagus cured the disease. The problem was just that, for some reason, the kids became instantly addicted and couldn't survive the withdrawal. You managed to get _me_ through the withdrawal. Couldn't you do the same for her?"

"Daniel, you were an otherwise strong and healthy young adult when you went through the withdrawal, yet there was more than one time when we came close to losing you. Patricia is a seven-year-old child. The odds of getting her through the withdrawal alive are not good."

"So, then, what?" Jack said. "We just let her die?"

"Colonel, if I honestly thought that using the sarcophagus might save her, I'd do it, but I can't put that child through the hell of withdrawal when there is very little chance that she'd survive. I haven't given up yet. I will continue to try various drugs. It may be that I'll eventually find the right combination."

"Drug," Daniel murmured.

Everyone else looked at him.

"What are you thinking?" Sam asked, recognizing the faraway look on her friend's face.

"We need to call the Tok'ra."

"The Tok'ra? Daniel, you're not thinking of having her made a host, are you?"

Daniel shook his head. "No, that's not what I'm thinking. I'm thinking of that drug Egeria used to negate the effects of the sarcophagus. Is there any chance that it might also have prevented addiction?"

Janet frowned. "I suppose it's possible."

"But what difference does it make?" Jack wanted to know. "Wasn't Egeria the only one who had the formula?"

"Maybe not. What if the Tok'ra have it? They might have had it all this time, but never used it because they couldn't get rid of the side effects."

Sam nodded. "It's possible. They would never have used it themselves, not with those side effects."

Daniel turned to Hammond. "Sir, I really think we need to contact them."

"I'm with Daniel," Jack said. "If there's any chance that they can save that little girl and maybe a lot of other kids on that planet, then we need to call them."

"If nothing else, there's a possibility that the healing device will at least work on Patricia."

The general gave a nod. "Very well. I will send a call out to the Tok'ra immediately."

"Let's just hope that they respond right away," said Sam.

Thankfully, the response from the Tok'ra came just three hours later. Upon hearing that it was a medical crisis, Jacob was sent through with a healing device. The situation was explained to him in the briefing room. When they asked him about the drug, he looked at Daniel.

"You told them?"

"Uh, yeah, a couple of weeks ago."

Daniel very briefly explained about the device, then told Jacob who Patricia was and from where she came.

"So, what about the drug?" Jack asked the Tok'ra. "Do you have it?"

It was Selmak who answered. "I'm afraid not. Egeria did give us the formula in the hope that, someday, it could be perfected, but it was lost many centuries ago." Seeing the disappointed looks on everyone's faces, he then said, "Take me to the child, and I will see if I can cure the illness with the healing device."

In Patricia's isolation room, Selmak was introduced to Marcus and Flavia.

"Selmak is a Tok'ra," Daniel said. "Do you know what that is?"

Marcus' eyes widened. "They are the children of Egeria!" He turned his gaze upon Selmak. "You are a child of our queen?"

"Yes. I am among the oldest still living of her children. I was born more than two thousand years ago."

Marcus immediately went to one knee, his head bowed. "My Lord."

"Get up, Marcus. I am not a god nor your ruler."

The man hesitantly rose to his feet.

"Selmak is going to try to heal Patricia, Marcus," Daniel explained.

"He will have my eternal thanks if he can do so."

Selmak stepped forward and extended the healing device over the child's body. His eyes closed, a look of concentration coming over his face. After about a minute, he lowered the device.

"I'm afraid that this device is not powerful enough to cure the disease completely. I have managed to slow its progress and heal some of the damage already wrought, but I fear it is only a matter of time before it claims the child." Seeing the grief in the eyes of Marcus and Flavia, he then said, "I am sorry."

SG-1, Selmak and Hammond returned to the briefing room.

It was Jacob who spoke this time. "Selmak figures that he gave the girl a couple more days, but it really was just a temporary band-aid. You said that these people have a sarcophagus, which does cure the illness but causes instantaneous addiction?"

Sam nodded. "According to Marcus, they've used it on people without the disease, and there was no problem, so that would seem to indicate that there's nothing wrong with it."

"I'd still like to take a look at it just to be sure. I'll need to get some tools and scanners from the Tok'ra base first, though."

Jacob left immediately. When he got back an hour later, Daniel asked if he'd told the Tok'ra everything. Sam's father replied that he'd only told them that SG-1 had discovered a human civilization with a sarcophagus that might be malfunctioning and causing those who used it to become immediately addicted. The Tok'ra wanted more details, but Jacob told them that there wasn't time to explain everything.

"What I'll say when I get back is something I haven't figured out yet," he said in conclusion.

Marcus gated back to Egerania with SG-1 and Jacob. He took them to where the sarcophagus was kept. The Tok'ra ran a scanner over it. The readings indicated that everything seemed to be working properly.

"We can't know for sure, though, without testing it," he said.

"Uh . . . test it how?" Daniel asked.

"Don't worry. We won't put anybody in it. It can be activated manually."

Jacob pressed a recessed switch, and the sarcophagus turned on. He continued the scan throughout the process.

"It only went through one cycle, just as it should," he said. "I had been thinking that, if it was going through multiple cycles, that would explain the immediate addiction. Everything else seems to be working properly as well."

"But what if it's only malfunctioning when there's a, um, body in there?" Sam asked.

"Any volunteers?" Jack asked, not really serious. Therefore, he was surprised by Teal'c's words.

"You may test it upon me."

"T, I was only joking."

"Nevertheless, a volunteer is needed."

"Except for me, he would be the best candidate," Jacob admitted. "The Tretonin would prevent him from becoming addicted, just as a symbiote does."

"And what about the other nasty effects?" Jack wanted to know.

Teal'c pulled out his knife and proceeded to slice open his arm.

"Hey!" Jack hurried forward, pulling out his handkerchief. "What did you do that for?"

"I am now injured. If the sarcophagus is functioning properly, it will heal my injury and not cause any negative effects."

"And if it's not?" Daniel asked.

"If I see any problems, I can shut it down," Jacob replied.

Teal'c pressed the button to open the lid.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Jack asked as the Jaffa climbed in.

"I am sure."

As the lid closed and the sarcophagus turned on, Teal'c's teammates nervously watched Jacob, whose eyes were on the scanner in his hands. Within a matter of seconds, the sarcophagus turned off, and the lid opened. Teal'c climbed out, his arm now fully healed.

"You feeling okay?" Jack asked him.

"I feel fine, O'Neill."

"The sarcophagus worked exactly like it should have," Jacob said. "There appears to be nothing wrong with it."

Jack frowned. "Except that it made the kids they put into it addicted. Maybe it only goes on the fritz when there's a . . . littler person in there."

Jacob shook his head, "It wouldn't work that way, Jack. If it was malfunctioning for one person, it would do so for everyone. I'm afraid this confirms that the problem isn't with the sarcophagus itself. The only answer, then, is that there is something about that disease that dramatically accelerates the sarcophagus' effects."

"So, what does this mean?" Jack asked.

"It means that we can't use the sarcophagus to heal Patricia or any of the other children."

"Then, that's it, isn't it. There's nothing we can do."

SG-1, Jacob and Marcus returned to the SGC. The Chief Magistrate had been told the bad news and went straight to the infirmary to be with his granddaughter during the time she had left. The deep sorrow in his eyes tore at all of them.

"Sir, I was thinking that we could give the Asgard a call," Jack said.

"Even if we could get hold of them, they may not arrive in time to save the girl," Hammond regretfully responded.

"But you can at least try. They may even be able to cure the population of whatever this thing is."

The general nodded. "I will put out the call."

An hour later, Daniel returned to the observation window. Down in the isolation room, Flavia was silently crying, stroking her little girl's face. Marcus sat beside her, an arm about her shoulders. They had requested that they be allowed to take Patricia back through the gate so that she could die with the rest of her family at her side, and arrangements were being made for it to be done.

Out of the corner of his eye, Daniel saw Jacob enter the observation room.

"This is so wrong," the archeologist said.

"The death of any child is wrong. Parents are not supposed to outlive their children, grandparents even less so."

Daniel glanced at the man briefly, wondering if he was thinking that, as a Tok'ra, he might outlive both his children and his grandchildren.

The archeologist returned his gaze to the dying little girl and her family. "It would tear Egeria apart to see this, to know this was happening to the descendants of Estrania's people."

Selmak was the one who replied. "Yes, it would. Unfortunately, sometimes, you must accept that nothing can be done to prevent a tragedy."

A touch of anger sparked inside Daniel. He looked at the Tok'ra. "Did you learn that from Egeria? The woman I knew wasn't a quitter."

It was Jacob who answered the archeologist's bitter question. "Daniel, there is a difference between being a quitter and accepting reality. We've done everything we can. All we can do now is hope that the Asgard eventually answer your call and can help the rest of that planet's population."

Daniel's gaze went back to Patricia, thinking that the Asgard probably wouldn't arrive in time to save her.

If he could have foreseen the future and known this was going to happen, he'd have asked Egeria for the formula to that drug. But that, of course, was a power he didn't have. If only. . . .

Daniel's thoughts came to a halt as, all at once, an idea blazed into his mind so suddenly that he nearly gasped.

"Daniel, what's wrong?" Jacob asked.

"We need to call a briefing," the archeologist replied.

Ten minutes later, Hammond, Jacob and all the members of SG-1 were in the briefing room.

"I have an idea," Daniel announced. "You're going to think it's crazy, but, if we're careful, I think it could work."

"Hey, I'm all for crazy if it'll save that little girl and the rest of the kids on that planet," Jack responded.

"What is your idea, Doctor Jackson?" Hammond asked.

"We get the formula from Egeria."

There was complete silence in the room for about ten seconds.

"Okay, Daniel," Jack said. "When you said crazy, I wasn't really thinking along the lines of a seance."

"No seance, Jack. What I'm suggesting is that we go back in time."

No sooner were Daniel's shocking words spoken when he saw Sam begin to open her mouth. He quickly held up his hand. "Just . . . just hear me out. Okay, obviously, we can't go back a couple of thousand years and ask her for it since that might mess up the timeline, but there is a time we _can_ go back to, a time when it wouldn't mess things up: when Egeria was on Pangar."

Sam frowned. "But how would we do that? If we did it while she was still in stasis, we'd have to take her out of stasis, put her in a host, ask her for the formula, then expect her to leave the host and go back into stasis. That certainly isn't going to work. And we couldn't do it after she was found by the Pangarans."

"Actually, that's when we _would_ have to do it, specifically when SG-1 was on Pangar. It's the only time in history when we know what was going on there."

"I still don't understand how we could do it. We couldn't put her into a host, and there would be no opportunity to talk to her after she went into Kelmaa's host."

"I'm not thinking of a host, Sam, I'm thinking of the cryogenic capsules on the Stromos and what happened to me."

Jacob jumped in. "Uh, does someone want to fill me in here?"

Very briefly, Daniel explained to the Tok'ra what happened to him when Pharrin downloaded the personalities of twelve of his people into the archeologist's brain.

"My idea," he said, "is that, if Sam can change the technology so that it copies the stuff in a person's brain instead of transferring it and can get it to work for a symbiote, we go in, copy Egeria's consciousness, and temporarily download it into the mind of a human volunteer, whose own consciousness can be stored. In this way, the original version of Egeria's consciousness will still be in her symbiote body. She'll still be there to take Kelmaa's host as her own and fix the problem with the Tretonin. The symbiote and host will still die, and nothing in history will be changed. I was also thinking that, if you could get a DNA sample, we could find out if the Asgard could clone Egeria's body. Then we could transfer her consciousness into it."

There was another moment of silence, only this one shorter. Again, it was Jack who broke it.

"Yep, you're right, Daniel. That's definitely crazy."

Sam's frown was now one of deep thought. "But it might actually work. Daniel, this is brilliant! I'd never have thought of doing this. The biggest problem I foresee isn't getting the technology to copy the consciousness rather than transferring it. In fact, I talked to a couple of the Talthusian scientists, and they said that the first generation of the technology actually did copy rather than transfer. The trouble would be in adapting the technology to work for a symbiote brain."

"We might be able to help with that," Selmak said. "We would have to study the technology and get all the information we could on its creation."

"Yeah, but wouldn't that take a lot of time?" Jack asked. "That's something Patricia doesn't have."

"We may be able to extend the time she has again with the healing device, but there would be a limit to how often we could do that. I really could not say how long it would take to adapt the technology until we see it. It might turn out to be a simple procedure."

All eyes turned to General Hammond.

"Though I have some concerns and reservations with this plan," he said, "I agree that, unless we hear from the Asgard and they can help, it is our best and possibly only course of action. Unfortunately, there is one major problem that I fear may result in it being rejected."

"Which is?" Jack questioned.

"The fact that, in order to get the Tok'ras' help in adapting the technology of the cryogenic capsules, it would be necessary to tell them about the time device. There are people who are very concerned about what might happen if a spy in the ranks of the Tok'ra told the Goa'uld about that device, which is why it was agreed that the Tok'ra would not be told." He looked at the Tok'ra sitting there at the table. "My apologies, Jacob."

"Hey, don't apologize to me, George. Back when Daniel told me and Selmak about that thing, we agreed that it would be dangerous for the other Tok'ra to know. But the fact is that, not only will this save the lives of hundreds of kids, it will also give the Tok'ra back their queen. We'll be able to add to our numbers, which will benefit both us and Earth."

"And what happens if the Goa'uld find out about that device, Jacob? If they learn that you suddenly have Egeria back, they're going to wonder how you managed it."

"All right, then, after we use the time device, we destroy it," Daniel said. "Then there will no longer be any danger."

Hammond shook his head. "I'm afraid that few would agree to losing such a valuable piece of technology. My guess is that they'll say that we need to wait for the Asgard."

"And, in the meantime, Patricia and a lot of other kids just keep right on dying," Jack responded angrily. "How many on that planet are dying even as we speak?"

"I'm sorry, Jack. If it were up to me, I'd be giving you the order to get started."

"But, unfortunately, you're not the president."

"Okay, then if those people put more value on things like that than they do on the lives of children on other worlds, then we offer them something else of value in exchange," Daniel said, starting to feel desperate. "Egeria was a Goa'uld queen. She has all of the memories and knowledge of her lineage. Think about what that could mean for us and our fight against the Goa'uld. She'd have knowledge of technology, of their history, alien civilizations that might have developed into possible allies for us, you name it! After Sam became a host to Jolinar, there were people who wanted to see if hypnosis could unearth some of the memories Jolinar left inside her. We wouldn't need hypnosis with Egeria, and I know that she'd willingly give us any knowledge we asked her for."

Jack studied Daniel, hearing the edge of desperation in his voice and wondering about it. He then turned to his C.O.

"Daniel's right, sir. The military advantages that Egeria's knowledge could give to us would be a lot more concrete than the possible benefit that time device thing _might_ give us sometime in the future _if_ something big enough happens to warrant us using it to change history."

"You both have a good point," Hammond said, "and I certainly agree that Egeria's knowledge of the Goa'uld could be a tremendous asset to us. I will call the president right away and submit everything to him directly."

"You also need to tell him that, this time, we don't have the time for him and all those Washington bigwigs to bandy this about for days. There's a little girl waiting for a cure in our infirmary and hundreds of others on Egerania who are getting sick and dying even as we speak."

"I'll pass on that message, Colonel."

"Sir, the Talthusians let us keep three of the cryogenic capsules to study," Sam said. "They're at Area 51. I can go ahead and have them shipped here and get started on adapting the technology to copy a person's consciousness instead of transferring it. I will have to talk to the scientists from Talthus, of course."

Hammond got to his feet. "Do it. Now, if you will excuse me, I have a phone call to make."

SG-1 and Jacob left the briefing room and went to Daniel's office.

"Okay, assuming that they go for it, we need to put together our plan of action," Jack said. "First of all, how are we going to get Egeria into one of those capsule thingies? They're kind of big to be carrying around."

"Obviously, we couldn't get one of the capsules to where Egeria is," Sam replied. "But I really don't think we'd have to. The active matrix module that stores the sleeper's consciousness is a separate unit. I looked at one, and it would be small enough for someone to carry."

"So, how do we get the matrix thing and ourselves to Pangar? If we go through the gate, we'll be seen."

"In a cloaked cargo ship," Daniel replied, "assuming there's someplace near where they were keeping Egeria that we could park it and not be discovered."

"We could probably hover over the roof of the Tretonin facility and get inside through the access door," Sam suggested.

"And then we'd have to sneak into where they keep Egeria," Jack pointed out, beginning to have serious doubts about the plan. "Teal'c and Jonas didn't do so well with the sneaking part last time."

"Well, we'd have an advantage this time, sir," Sam responded. "With the sensors on the Tel'tak, we'd be able to pinpoint the exact location of all the security guards." She then shook her head. "But how are we going to get a ship? We can't take one with us back in time."

"That shouldn't be a problem," Jacob replied. "The Tok'ra always have at least one cargo ship stashed away somewhere. I know where they all were at any given time."

"Okay, I'm a little confused about something," Jack said. "I thought the Goa'uld had genetic knowledge. Wouldn't all of Egeria's memories and things be in her DNA? Why do we have to use the matrix things?"

"Calling it 'genetic' knowledge actually isn't accurate. It isn't encoded into the DNA like, say, the color of your eyes or the shape of your face. If it was, it would be passed on to each generation completely involuntarily. Egeria would have had no way to prevent it from being inherited by her offspring since it would have already been present in the DNA of her eggs. The truth is that a queen's knowledge is passed on to her children through a mental link. So, no, her memories and consciousness would not be present in a clone of her body, no more than those things would be present in a cloned human body or a cloned Asgard body."

Sam nodded. "An Asgard clone doesn't have a consciousness until one is downloaded into it. Loki would have had to do the same thing when he cloned Colonel O'Neill."

Jack made a face. "How about if we agree never to mention that incident ever again?"

The group resumed discussing the plan, ironing out the details. Sam pointed out that Daniel would have to stay onboard the Tel'tak. It would be bad enough if she, Jack and Teal'c got caught, but if he was there, too, it could seriously impact the timeline since it would reveal that he was going to descend.

Daniel nodded. "There's also the fact that I couldn't let Egeria see me since it would affect what she says to the, um, ascended me. And that brings up a problem I didn't think about before."

"Only one?" Jack asked doubtfully.

"Okay, so I didn't plan out all the details ahead of time when this idea suddenly popped into my head. I figured that we could all work out everything together."

"What is the problem about which you speak?" Teal'c asked.

"Me, or, rather, the ascended me. I know I was there, but, except for when I was talking to Egeria, I have no memory of where I was at any given moment."

Sam began to frown. "And you're worried that, if the ascended Daniel sees us and finds out what we're doing, it'll affect your . . . his later actions." Just then, she realized something. "Uh oh."

Jack stared at her. "You know, Carter, you saying that makes me just as nervous and twitchy as it does when Daniel says it."

"Sorry, sir. I just realized something. Daniel can't be on this mission at all, or at least he can't go to Pangar. If the ascended Daniel sees him, he'll know that he is going to descend someday, and that could have disastrous consequences."

Daniel cursed silently. She was right. If he'd known ahead of time that he was going to descend it would very likely have dramatically altered the way he did things.

"So this means that I'll have no choice but to wait on Estrania as you guys go off on the mission."

"Why not wait here instead?" Jack asked. "It wouldn't do you any good to just sit there on Estrania."

Daniel shook his head. "I'm the only one who can read the Furling language. I have to be there in case there's a problem with the time device."

"Oh. Right. Okay, so you won't be on Pangar, but how are we going to keep your glowy self from finding out what we're doing?"

"There isn't any way, although I should imagine that I probably hung around you guys most of the time."

"Well, before Teal'c and Jonas went off to see what was going on in the Tretonin facility, we were all discussing what we should do," Sam said. "I'd say that would be the best time for us to make our move since the place would still be quiet and not on alert." She asked Daniel if Egeria could be counted on not to tell the ascended Daniel about what they did. He replied that she would if they impressed upon her how important it was that she didn't say anything.

"Actually, in that case, you probably won't able to explain what it is that you're doing," he then said. "It would change the things she says to me if she knows that, in a way, she isn't going to die."

Jacob's head bowed for a moment, indicating that Selmak was about to speak.

"I will have to be there," the Tok'ra stated. "Egeria will trust me and follow my instructions."

They hashed out the rest of the details, then Sam went off to make arrangements to get the chambers sent to the SGC and to contact the Talthusians.

"So, what's the whole story with you and these Talthusians?" Jacob asked.

Daniel recounted the whole story, concluding it by telling him that, after all the survivors had been revived, attention was turned to where they were going to go. Using the coordinates provided by the Stromos, it was discovered that there was a Stargate on Ardena, the planet intended to be the new homeworld of the Talthusians, so the survivors were all sent there.

"What about Pharrin and all the other personalities inside him?" Jacob asked.

"At first, we didn't know if there was anything we could do for him, but then I thought about the Asgard. They're experts in transferring a mind's contents to another body. Not only that but they can also clone people. The Asgard were able to sort out the various personalities inside Pharrin's mind and put them inside clones of their original bodies."

"Yes, and what a terrible shame it was that Martice didn't survive the trip from Daniel's brain to Pharrin's," Jack remarked, clearly not sad about that at all.

Daniel explained. "Three of the personalities that had been inside me were lost in the process of transferring them to Pharrin. The sovereign was one of them."

"What about Tryan and Keenin?" Jacob asked.

"They both made it."

"How the heck did you know which personality went with which body?"

"We have the Asgard to thank for that as well. Don't ask me how he did it, but Thor used his ship's computers to identify each consciousness. After that, it was a simple case of matching each name with the Stromos' passenger records, which included photos."

Jack smiled. "And, to top everything off, Thor found the other two ships on the way to Ardena, we woke everyone up, and gated them all to the planet a couple hundred years ahead of their scheduled arrival. A successful mission all around."

"Let's hope that this one goes as well," Daniel murmured.

A few minutes later, Teal'c and Jacob left. Jack remained, having decided that now would be a good time to talk to Daniel about what he'd noticed in the briefing.

"So, what's up with you?" he asked.

Daniel frowned in puzzlement. "What do you mean?"

"I couldn't help but notice that you were getting pretty desperate when Hammond was saying that the bigwigs would probably refuse to allow the mission. I know you want to save Patricia and don't want any more kids to die on that planet, but I get the feeling that there's something more to this than just that."

"What? You think I have an ulterior motive?"

"Well, this would give you a way to save Egeria. I know she came to mean a lot to you."

Daniel started to get angry. "I can't believe that you could think I'd be that self-serving!"

"Daniel, I didn't mean—"

The archeologist didn't let him finish, his anger growing. "Of course I love the thought of saving her. I wouldn't be human if I didn't. But to suggest that's my primary reason for wanting to do this is insulting and-and-and—"

"Hey," Jack interrupted. "You're right. I'm sorry. I should know you better than to even consider it."

Daniel's gaze dropped as his temper began to cool.

"So, what is it, then, Daniel? I know there's something more."

"I just . . . I just think about how Egeria would feel if she knew that the descendants of the people she watched over were going through this. She'd fight to do everything in her power to save those kids. And. . . ."

"And what?"

"And I feel like, in a way, I am sort of responsible for the situation they are in."

Jack frowned severely. "How the hell do you figure that?"

"You know those memories I regained of when I visited Egeria while I was ascended? Well, I got back another memory, too, of something that must have happened after Egeria died. I was talking with Oma, and she told me that if I had not guided Egeria toward being a Tok'ra, it would never have happened, the Tok'ra race would never have been born."

"And she knew this how?"

"She said that the Ascended had the power to look into the past and see what might have been if events had happened differently."

"Okay, so how does that make you the least bit responsible for what's happening on Egerania?"

"Because if I hadn't interfered and gotten Egeria to change, she wouldn't have sent Estrania's population to that planet. There would never have been a plague, and this wouldn't have happened as a result."

Jack paused. "Yeah, okay, so I guess that sort of has some logic to it, but it's also pretty short-sighted. Daniel, I am not now nor have I ever been a fan of the Tok'ra, but even I can admit that they've probably done a lot over the centuries to put a crimp in the plans of more than one Goa'uld. According to Jacob, the Tok'ra personally brought about the deaths of several of them. I don't know if I want to think about how different things would be if the Tok'ra were never born. It could be a whole hell of a lot worse. So I'm thinking that the good your actions did very likely far outweigh the bad consequences that ended up happening."

After Jack had left, Daniel just sat and stared at nothing for several minutes. He really started to think about what would happen of they got the okay for the mission, and it was successful. Egeria would be alive again. Just the thought of that made Daniel feel like smiling. He'd be able to see her again, talk to her again. He'd be able to tell her all the things he couldn't before.

At home, Daniel pulled out of his desk drawer the photo of Egeria. For the second time, he stared at it. Gazing at the beautiful face, he thought of Arria, Egeria's host. Sadly, there would be no way to bring her back as well. It would be impossible to go back two thousand years and get both a DNA sample and a copy of her consciousness without threatening the integrity of the timeline. But, knowing Arria as he did, he was certain that she'd be happy just to know that Egeria was going to be saved. And, in a way, it would be saving Arria, too. Her memories, her hopes and dreams, who she was as a person were all within Egeria, and they would live on for as long as she did.

* * *

Well, there you go, the revelation to the big question of how I was going to bring Egeria back. But just wait. There will be more developments regarding that in future chapters.


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

Jack watched as Daniel fidgeted. The archeologist generally wasn't the fidgeting sort, so it was rather entertaining to watch. After about a minute, the colonel finally decided to put a stop to it.

"Daniel, will you just chill? We've still got five minutes before we're scheduled to leave. Jacob will be here at any second. He's giving Patricia another treatment with the healing device to strengthen her."

Daniel forced himself to relax. "I'm just worried that somebody's going to change their mind at the last minute and cancel the mission."

"Trust me. That's not gonna happen. According to Hammond, they were all drooling over the thought of all that information we're going to get from Egeria. This mission has been given top priority."

Just then, Jacob came in. Sam asked how the little girl was doing.

"She's hanging on. I don't think the healing device would work on her again, though. If it wasn't for your idea, I doubt she'd survive until we produced the drug."

While working on the active matrix modules, Sam got the idea of putting Patricia in one of the three cryogenic capsules they had. It would keep her safely in suspended animation until the drug had been made and could be given to her. She was going to be put in one of the capsules as soon as Janet was sure she was stable enough.

One of the other two capsules already had an occupant, a Talthusian woman named Ria, who had been a passenger onboard the Stromos. Her husband, a crew member named Bridan, had been among the people whose personalities were inside Pharrin. As a way to thank SG-1 for coming up with a way to save her husband, she had volunteered to be the one to temporarily hold Egeria's conscious. A beautiful woman with long black hair, she reminded Daniel a little bit of Arria, except that, whereas Arria's eyes had been brown, Ria's were green.

Hammond's voice came over the speaker, asking if they were all set. Upon getting an answer in the affirmative, he ordered the gate to be dialed. Moments later, the wormhole was established, and Jack began steering the FRED that held all their gear and the active matrix module up the ramp. With a wish for good luck from the general, Jacob and SG-1 followed the FRED through to Estrania.

As they came out the other side, Jack looked about. "You know, I've seen just a little too much of this place lately," he remarked. "You have no idea how much I wish we could have brought the motorcycles."

As they headed for the Furling ruins, Jack glanced at Jacob. "So, you didn't go into any details on what the reactions of your fellow Tok'ra High Council members were to finding out about the little secret you've been keeping from them for the past three years."

"Well, needless to say, they were not happy about it, although they had to admit that there would have been some danger of a spy leaking the knowledge to the Goa'uld, especially since, at the time I found out about the device, Tanith was still around."

"They're going to keep this to themselves, right?" Sam asked. It had been decided that it would be best if only the High Council knew about what was going on until after the time device had been destroyed.

Jacob nodded. "Except for the scientists who helped us, of course. The High Council agreed that the fewer people who know about the time device, the better it will be, at least until after it has been destroyed."

"I'm surprised that they didn't balk at the idea of it being destroyed," Jack said.

"They recognize that not doing so would be foolish. Even if the whole thing was taken to Earth, there are some Goa'uld who would still try to get their hands on it, especially Anubis."

"You said that you didn't tell them about my trip back in time," Daniel said.

"No, I figured that would just cause more of a delay. They did wonder how it was that you guys figured out that the thing was a time travel device and how you knew about the drug Egeria had, but I managed to skirt around that."

"So . . . is there any way that we could just not tell them about that ever?"

Jack smiled slightly. "What's the matter, Daniel? Don't want the other Tok'ra to know that you're their daddy?"

"Shut up, Jack. I'm not their daddy."

"Oh, I don't know about that, Daniel. After all, your stuff was used to help make them. That is sort of like being a daddy."

Daniel made a low growling sound. "First of all, the DNA of my 'stuff', as you so quaintly put it, was simply grafted into the DNA of the larvae. It did not fertilize anything. Second, Selmak and a few others are the only Tok'ra left alive that my DNA was used for. So, I am not the Tok'ras' daddy!"

Totally ignoring what he'd said, Jack addressed the Tok'ra in their midst. "So, Selmak. Is Anise one of Daniel's kids?"

Trying not to smile, Jacob answered for his symbiote. "No, she was spawned later."

"Well, that's good, because there's that whole thing about her having the hots for him, and, though I don't know what the _Tok'ras'_ viewpoint is on that sort of thing, the word that would be going through _my_ mind if she _was_ one of his kids would be 'Eww.'"

Jacob stared at Daniel. "Anise has the hots for you?"

_'I am going to kill him. I am going to kill him,'_ Daniel was thinking, plotting out the best way to murder Jack and get away with it.

Curbing a smile with extreme effort, Sam wisely chose not to say a word. Teal'c proved to be equally as wise.

Seeing the look in Daniel's eyes, Jacob decided that departing from the subject of Anise would be a good thing to do.

"To answer your question, Daniel," he said, "I'm sorry, but I can't keep this from them. They'll have to be told. And, even if I didn't tell them, they'd find out from Egeria."

Grinning, Jack started to say something, but then Daniel whipped around and glared at him. No, "glared" wasn't really sufficient to describe that expression. It was more on the order of Daniel's eyes being two oxyacetylene torches cutting him open like a tin can. Okay, backing off might be a good idea right about now. Daniel was a really smart guy and could probably think up all kinds of creative ways to kill him using some ancient method of torture and dismemberment.

Seeing that Jack had gotten the message, Daniel turned back around. It wasn't so much that he didn't want the Tok'ra to know that he'd had some part in guiding Egeria toward her decisions; it's that he did not think that people should make a big deal out of what he did since he didn't think it _was_ a big deal. Yes, okay, so he was the one who figured out what to say to steer Egeria in the right direction, but she was the one who had the courage to deny her heritage, reject the evil ways of her species, and do things that would put herself and all she held dear in danger. All he did was a lot of talking. She was the one who did the important stuff, the stuff that deserved all the praise and accolades.

Now, when it came to him being the one who provided the DNA for the first Tok'ra, yes, that was definitely something he'd prefer not become common knowledge among them since they would obviously know what would have transpired between him and Egeria in order for her to get the DNA. The thought of every Tok'ra in existence knowing that he and their queen had sex was _way_ more than a little disconcerting. In fact, the mere thought of it made Daniel cringe. He really, really had to talk to Jacob in private about this. He'd get down on his knees and beg, if that's what it took. As for Egeria, she would respect his desire for that very private information to be kept secret. But then there was Jack, who probably couldn't wait to embarrass him by asking the High Council if any of them were Daniel's "kids." God, he was going to have nightmares about that. He just _knew_ he was.

Upon reaching the Furling ruins, Sam opened the door to the chamber with the remote, and they went inside. Daniel turned the lights on, then he and Jacob opened the pedestal. Sam and her father quickly reinstalled the missing piece, which the astrophysicist had been carrying in a case.

"So, now it's working?" Jack asked, staring at the thing a little apprehensively.

"Yep," Daniel replied, "all ready to send us back in time."

"So, who's going to do the honors of thinking us there?"

"Not you."

Jack glared at the archeologist. "Hey, I resent that."

"Well, if you think you can actually keep your mind focused on when in time we're supposed to go rather than drift off to the sixties or some other era, then you're welcome to take a crack at it."

Jack was silent for a long moment. "I'll let Carter do it," he finally said.

"Good idea."

"Actually, Daniel should do it since he's done this twice before," Sam said.

"Fine by me," Jack responded. "Here's a question, though. How are we going to know that we've gone to the right time?"

"I figured out that the best way to give the device a precise date is to think in days," Daniel replied. "Estrania's days are almost exactly the same length as Earth's, so all I have to do is tell the device to send us a specific number of days back in time from today."

"And the computer on the Tel'tak will be able to confirm if we made it to the right date," Sam said, "We're going to allow a couple of extra days to be on the safe side, just in case there's a delay in getting the ship or during the trip to Pangar."

"So, you're saying that, between the time it'll take to fly there and the extra two days, we're going to have to be in that ship for four days?" Jack asked.

"If we see that we're ahead of schedule, we'll stop at some uninhabited planet. We can't take the chance of waiting in orbit around Pangar. We have to do everything we can to minimize the risk that the ascended Daniel will discover our presence."

The colonel turned to Daniel. "So, are you going to be okay waiting here for that long?"

"As far as supplies go, yes. As far as my nerves go, that remains to be seen."

"I really don't like the idea of you being here by yourself all that time."

"There's no other choice, Jack. You see that circle on the floor? That's the boundary. The time field, or tunnel, or whatever you want to call it won't work beyond there. That's also where the force field forms."

Jack looked at the circle. "Not very big."

"No. As I said back on base, the five of us, along all our gear, supplies and the case with the matrix module are just barely going to fit. There wouldn't have been room for anyone else. Besides, I'll be fine."

"Well, just don't get any ideas to go rooting around in those ruins. I don't want to come back and find you buried under a ton of rubble. That would _so_ ruin the good feelings I'll have if we manage to pull off this mission."

"Don't worry, Jack. Though I may decide to walk around the ruins a bit, I won't go into any of the structures unless they are completely safe."

"No, Daniel. You will go into the structures not at all," said Jack, his hard gaze boring into the archeologist.

Daniel returned the gaze for several seconds, then said, "All right. I'll stay out of them."

Jack's face registered his surprise. "Where's my camera? He's actually agreeing to do what I told him to. I need to record this moment for my memoirs."

Daniel gave him a fake smile. "Are we done now? Because I'd really like us to get going."

All of the gear and supplies were unloaded from the FRED and put inside the circle.

"What should the rest of us do while you're concentrating on the date?" Jacob asked Daniel once he and SG-1 were inside the circle as well.

"For those of you who are capable of it, keep your mind blank." Daniel's eyes focused on Jack. "If you can't do that, then think of something innocuous, like what you had for breakfast. Just don't think of any dates or specific days in time."

Jack frowned. "Hey, I'm not gonna be the one who has a problem with not thinking. I'm an ace at not thinking."

_'Riiight. What was I thinking?'_ Daniel responded in his mind. "So, everyone ready?" Getting nods and answers in the affirmative, he closed the door. "Here we go." He pressed the correct symbols, then closed his eyes and starting thinking about the day to which they wanted to go. He kept them closed while the others watched in fascination as the center part of the pedestal opened and the orb rose from it, now glowing with a bright blue light. Suddenly recalling that they were supposed to be thinking about nothing, Jacob and the other three members of SG-1 also closed their eyes and attempted to do that, which was no struggle at all for Teal'c, who merely began the process of putting himself into Kel'no'reem. Jack, finding that his brain was refusing for once to think of nothing, thought, instead, about the runny eggs and overcooked bacon he had in the commissary that morning. With the help of Selmak, Jacob slipped into a light meditative state. Sam, also finding that she couldn't keep her mind blank, began running some math problems through her head.

And then the light washed over all of them, flashing out in all directions. As it faded and the orb slowing sank back into the pedestal, Daniel opened his eyes.

"You can start thinking again now," he announced.

Jack's eyes opened. "That's good, because this morning's breakfast was definitely not one I care to dwell on for long."

"I didn't feel anything," Sam said.

"I didn't any of the times either," Daniel told her.

The major quickly reinstalled the remote device on the button to close the door. Gathering their things, the group then left the chamber, closed the door, and went outside. Right away, they could tell that it was a different time of year.

"That is just freaky," Jack remarked.

Once they'd reached the Stargate, Daniel looked at Jacob and his teammates. "I really wish I was going with you. Be careful, okay?"

Sam handed him the remote for the door. "We will."

Jacob dialed the address to the world where one of the Tok'ras' ships sat hiding, one he knew would not be used for a mission for another couple of weeks. As the gate connected, Jack turned to Daniel.

"Remember. Stay out of the buildings. I mean it, Daniel."

"Yes, Dad."

The archeologist watched the others walk up to the gate and disappear through it.

"Good luck," he murmured, knowing that they were going to need it.

* * *

Getting the ship and the trip to Pangar went smoothly, so, having an extra two days to kill, Jacob and the three members of SG-1 detoured to an uninhabited planet and camped out there. They used the time to discuss all the trouble they might run into and what they should do in each situation. It was agreed that, if they were caught, they would refuse to tell their other selves anything about their mission, though it would be obvious that they were from the future. Sam knew that her younger self would recognize that, to preserve the timeline as much as possible, they mustn't be told anything. Teal'c and Jonas wouldn't be a problem either. No, if there was going to be a problem, it would be with the colonel, both of them. The younger one would try to get some hints on what was going to happen, and the older one would be tempted to tell him.

"Sir, I can't impress upon you strongly enough that you cannot reveal anything about what's going to happen," she said to him.

"Oh, come on, Carter. What harm would it do for me to tell my other self who won the World Series?"

"And what if he decides to make use of that information and place a bet?"

Jack's face lit up. "Hey, now there's an idea."

"Sir," Sam said, her voice and expression firm.

Jack sighed dramatically. "Fine. I'll keep my mouth shut. Let's just hope that, if we _do_ get caught, nobody asks where Jonas is."

Sam turned to her father. "I can imagine how excited the Tok'ra are about getting Egeria back."

"Oh, they're excited all right. The Tok'ra have been living with the knowledge that we are a dying race for a very long time, ever since we lost Egeria. Not even counting the fact that many of us die each year because of the fight against the Goa'uld, our life spans are only a fraction of what theirs are because of their use of the sarcophagus. Eventually, we would have all died of old age without any new Tok'ra to take our place."

"I know it's kind of late in the game to suggest this," Jack said, "but, instead of doing all this, why couldn't we pop in, snatch Egeria after she gives the Pangarans what they need to fix Tretonin, then take her to our time and stick her in the sarcophagus that they have on Egerania? Heck, we could even do it after she dies and the Tok'ra take her through the gate. Then we wouldn't get spotted by ourselves. That wouldn't mess up history, would it?"

"Well, it could, sir," Sam responded. "How do you think the Tok'ra would respond to Egeria's body being stolen?"

"Um . . . not well, I should imagine," Jack answered, not having thought of that before.

"That aside, I'm afraid that it wouldn't work anyway," Jacob said. "Egeria was dying from massive cellular degeneration, very much like what happens when a Goa'uld or Tok'ra finally reaches the end of their life span. A sarcophagus can't permanently repair that. About the only thing it could do was perhaps give her a few extra months."

Sam nodded. "According to Oshu, Lord Yu's First Prime, the sarcophagus isn't helping Yu anymore. He's just too old."

"Right. Basically, being forced to spawn continually prematurely aged Egeria."

They left the next day, allowing plenty enough time to get to Pangar before the hour they'd decided would be the best time to enter the Tretonin facility.

As the cloaked ship descended to the facility, Sam, Jack and Jacob put on the headsets with which they would communicate with Teal'c. He would be remaining onboard, keeping a close eye on the scanners that would show where all the personnel in the facility were located.

The Tel'tak came to a stop over the facility, hovering a couple of feet above the roof.

"Okay, Teal'c, once we're inside, climb to ten thousand feet and wait until we're back up on the roof before coming to get us," Jack instructed. "As we agreed, if it looks like we've been caught, don't try to rescue us. Hopefully, we'll be able to talk our other selves into convincing the Pangarans that they have to let us go."

"I will await your return, O'Neill."

The colonel, the major and the Tok'ra went to the door and opened it. They lightly hopped down and hurried to the access door. Finding it unlocked, they slipped inside. There, they waited for Teal'c to reach the designated altitude.

"I am in position," said Teal'c's voice in their ears a couple of minutes later. "There are no individuals in your vicinity. You are clear to proceed down the stairs to the correct level."

The group of three began to descend, eyes and ears alert, although, with Teal'c keeping watch, they didn't have to worry about someone suddenly coming upon them.

They were almost on the right floor when Teal'c warned them of someone who had just entered the stairwell. They froze and waited. Fortunately, the person went down rather than up. As soon as Teal'c told them that they were clear, they continued the rest of the way. They opened the door and went out into the hallway. As silently as possible, they made their way to the room that held Egeria. They'd almost made it when Teal'c sent a warning that someone was coming. They hurriedly covered the remaining distant and slipped inside.

Jack pressed his ear to the door and listened as the person drew progressively closer. If the guy was coming here, there would be no place for the team to hide from him. The colonel and his companions all breathed a sigh of relief when the person passed by the room and kept walking.

They all turned to the tank. As they walked toward it, Selmak took over from Jacob, his expression changing to one of distress as he gazed upon the symbiote who was his mother and saw how old and ill she looked. Knowing that Egeria had aged prematurely and actually seeing it for himself were two entirely different things. She was too young to look like this. During the first two thousand years of her life, she had used the sarcophagus, which would have kept her body from aging. Most of the second two thousand years were spent inside a stasis jar, which would also have kept her from aging. So she was actually still quite young, yet she looked ancient, ancient and worn out.

Tears in his eyes, Selmak came to a stop before the tank and rested his hand on the glass.

"I read Malek's report about her, but it was still not enough to prepare me for this," he said in a low voice. "It is very hard for me to see her like this."

Sam rested her hand on his shoulder. "It'll be over soon, Selmak. Come on. We need to hurry."

Containing his emotions, Selmak nodded and set down the case holding the active matrix module. As Sam got busy with it, Selmak stuck a device on the glass that would transmit his voice through it and into the tank so that Egeria could hear him. It would also enable him to hear her.

"Egeria? Can you hear me?" he asked in Goa'uld.

The head of the queen swivelled around to face him.

"Egeria, I am Selmak."

The name got a definite reaction. Egeria lumbered closer to the wall of the tank, her head coming to rest against the glass. They all heard a faint squeaking sound.

"I know. It is good to see you as well, Mother. I have missed you. Mother, we need your help. I cannot explain why we are here or what we are doing. All I can say is that it is to save the lives of thousands of people."

Sam lowered into the tank a tube with a small, bowl-shaped device on the end.

"I need you to place your head inside the device," Selmak told Egeria. "It will do you no harm, though you may feel some dizziness afterwards."

Egeria did not hesitate to do so. Sam turned on a switch and watched as a gauge slowly began to climb.

"O'Neill, someone is approaching."

Teal'c's voice made everyone freeze. Almost afraid even to breath, they waited, praying that the person didn't come in. It seemed like a very long time before Teal'c told them that the person was gone.

Jack looked down at the module. "So, how long is this going to take?"

"Quite a while, I'm afraid," Sam replied. "For a human, it would be pretty quick, but Egeria's mind contains a whole lot more data than a human's. This matrix module is far larger than an ordinary one, with many times the storage capacity. If it wasn't for the Tok'ra, it would have been too big to carry, but they managed to get it down to a reasonable size." Sam shook her head. "It's such a shame that we couldn't use technology like what the Ancients developed for the repositories. They are able to transmit vastly more data than even what's in a Goa'uld queen's mind in just a matter of seconds."

"Yes, how well I know that," Jack muttered.

It ended up taking twenty minutes to complete the copy. During every minute of it, the team was afraid that they'd be discovered.

As Sam withdrew the tube and coiled it back into the case, Selmak talked to Egeria again, telling her that he needed to get a blood sample from her. Pushing up the sleeve of his top, he reached down into the tank and carefully withdrew some blood into a small syringe, which he then put in a bag with an ice pack.

"Mother, you cannot tell anyone that we were here or what we did," he told the Tok'ra queen. "It is absolutely vital that no one knows. Do you understand?"

Egeria's head nodded once.

Selmak laid his hand on the glass again. "I wish that I could take you with us, but I can't. We owe so much to you. I want you to at least know that your dream is becoming a reality. The day is coming soon when the Goa'uld will be no more."

Egeria made a few more squeaks, and Selmak smiled sadly.

"What did she say?" Sam asked. "What did _you_ say?"

"I told her that the Goa'uld would soon be gone, and she said that she was glad and that hearing that made everything worthwhile."

"You mean that you can actually understand those squeaks?" Jack asked.

"Of course I can. It is my native language, after all."

"Right." Jack looked at his watch. "We need to go. We're cutting it kind of close. Teal'c and Jonas will be getting to the room with the larvae in less than an hour."

Selmak nodded and turned back to the tank. "We have to go," he told Egeria. "I am glad that we got to see each other again."

There were a couple of short squeaks from Egeria, then she moved away from the glass.

Selmak removed the device from the side of the tank, then picked up the case with the matrix module.

The three got lucky and managed to make it all the way back up to the roof without having to hide from anyone. They then waited there for Teal'c.

Nobody truly relaxed until the ship had left Pangar and jumped into hyperspace.

"Well, that went way more smoothly than I was expecting," Jack said with a smile. "Missions like this almost _never_ go off without a hitch."

"I guess luck was with us this time," Sam responded.

"Luck and good planning. As Hannibal Smith used to say, 'I love it when a plan comes together.'"

Sam nodded. "Will you excuse me, sir? I want to go talk to Dad."

"Yes, where'd he go off to?"

"He's in the cargo hold."

Sam went back into the hold. She found her father sitting on one of the cots. She sat down beside him.

"You okay?" she asked, not sure if it was her father or Selmak to whom she was speaking.

"Yeah," replied the voice of her father. "Selmak's just a little upset. It hurt a lot for him to see Egeria like that. Malek and Kelmaa are both – _were_ in the case if Kelmaa now – younger Tok'ra. They were among the ones born later, after Egeria went into hiding. Though it was dangerous for her to stay in any one place for a great length of time, she insisted that she needed to give birth to as many Tok'ra as possible. She knew that her days were numbered, that, sooner or later, Ra or some other Goa'uld would catch her. All of the Tok'ra who were born during that time never really got a chance to know her personally, not like those of us who were born before did. As soon as each batch of symbiotes matured, she'd turn them over to us to find hosts for them and integrate them into Tok'ra society. Though she wanted to stay and get to know them better, it was just too dangerous."

"So, although it bothered Malek and Kelmaa to see her like that, they didn't have the memories of her like Selmak has."

"Yeah. I can understand how he feels. As you know, my mother died of leukemia, and it was really hard for me to watch her get so sick and frail."

Sam laid her hand on his arm. He rested one of his hands over it and gave it a little squeeze.

"But we saved Egeria's consciousness," she said, "and, if the Asgard can clone her, she'll eventually have a young and healthy symbiote body as well. All the damage that was done to her old body will be gone."

Jacob nodded. "Selmak is looking forward to talking to her again once the transfer into Ria's body is complete."

Sam smiled. "Oh, I think he's going to have to wait in line for that."

Jacob smiled as well. "Yes, I do believe that there is a certain archeologist waiting for us who will be the first one in line for that."

* * *

Daniel looked at his watch. If everything went according to plan, Jacob and his teammates would be on their way back now, bearing the matrix module with Egeria's consciousness. He felt a little quiver of excitement. He couldn't wait to talk to her. Of course, she'd have a million questions. She wouldn't know anything about his ascension, so that would be quite a shock to her when she found out. A lot of things were going to be a surprise to her.

There was one thing that dimmed Daniel's excitement. If the Asgard could clone Egeria's body, once her consciousness had been transferred into it, she would very likely leave Earth to go live with the Tok'ra. How often would he see her then? Probably not often. He knew that he shouldn't be thinking of that, that he should be concentrating on the fact that she'd be producing new Tok'ra, but he couldn't help it. The selfish part of him wanted her to stay on Earth.

Sticking a few things in his pack, Daniel headed out into the ruins. He'd been doing this every day, covering a different section of the city each time. Today, he'd be going someplace he had been deliberately avoiding up until now.

Despite the ruined state of the city and all the debris he had to go around, Daniel was still able to find his way, though it took far longer than it did whenever he went this way when the city was whole.

At last he reached his destination. He came to a stop . . . and smiled. The gallery had survived. There was some damage to one corner, but, other than that, the building that Aulus once said would be his crowning achievement had made it through the destruction. It was beautiful, looking just like the drawings the master builder had made. Daniel approached it, his eyes going here and there to the things that had been influenced by his suggestions. He went all the way to the foot of the steps and stopped. He ached to go inside, to see how it turned out in there. But he'd told Jack that he wouldn't go into any of the buildings. Maybe he could just peek in the door. He wouldn't really be going inside, then.

Daniel stood there for around half a minute longer before he couldn't stand it anymore and ascended the stairs. The big doors had rotted away long ago, leaving the doorway open for him to look inside. He cast his gaze about, looking at the pedestals and niches in the walls that had once held works of art. His eyes followed the grand staircase up to the second level, of which he could not see much beyond the marble railing. He was so very tempted to step beyond the threshold and go see what he couldn't from there. He sighed. He'd made an agreement, and though he hadn't actually promised in so many words, he'd feel guilty if he went back on it. Maybe when they came back to Estrania to destroy the time device, Jack would let him go into the gallery.

Taking one last look around, Daniel went back down the steps and continued his exploration. He'd been at it for around an hour when the sound of thunder made him turn. Dark clouds were looming on the horizon, heading his way.

"Oh, great. Just what I need."

He hurried back to camp and began sticking everything into the tent. Thinking of the miserable day he was going to have sitting in his tent while it poured, Daniel picked up the last few things and stepped toward it. He then paused, his thoughts going back to the gallery. It would be a whole lot more comfortable waiting out the storm there than in the tent. He wouldn't have to go inside to stay dry. He could stay at the top of the stairs, where the roof extended out several yards across the entire front of the structure.

When another rumble made him turn and see what looked like a heavy sheet of rain falling in the distance, Daniel made up his mind. Leaving the tent and most of the supplies, he grabbed everything he figured he'd need and rushed to the gallery. He was ascending the final few steps when the storm reached him, and the heavens opened up. Dashing under the cover of the roof, Daniel watched it come down for a few seconds. He then went over to the wall and put down his stuff. He set up the camp chair and got his journal, prepared to wait out the storm.

Two hours later, it was still raining and showing no sign of stopping any time soon. Daniel began to wonder if he should have brought the tent and set up camp here.

It was another hour and a half before the rain finally stopping, but the clouds that still filled the sky warned that more rain could come. Deciding that perhaps he'd better check to make sure that everything at the camp had made it through the winds that came with the storm, Daniel grabbed a rain poncho and headed for the Stargate.

He was almost within sight of the gate when he heard voices and came to a halt. Were the others back already? Did something happen that made it necessary for them to turn around before they even got to Pangar?

Daniel was just about to resume walking when he heard the voices again. This time, he could hear part of what they were saying.

They were talking in Goa'uld.

_'Oh, crap.'_

Yet again, the incredibly bad timing of the Goa'uld had struck. Jaffa had come through the gate. Upon seeing his camp, they must have realized that someone was here, someone from Earth.

_'This isn't good.'_

What was he going to do? Where could he hide? The gallery? No, they'd probably search the place because it was in such good shape. Daniel thought of the palace. When he'd examined it more closely a couple of days ago, he saw that the section right around where the library had been was still intact. Could he hide in there? Possibly. But he really didn't know what condition it was in. It could collapse in on him.

Daniel realized that there was only one safe place he could hide. But could he make it there?

The archeologist turned and ran, thankful that the clatter of the Jaffa armor that he could now hear approaching would hide the sound of his footfalls. He ran to the gallery and grabbed his flashlight and a few other things he might need, stuffing them into his pack. He tossed the rest of the stuff inside.

Knowing that it would be faster, he gave a silent apology to Jack, then dove inside. He didn't pause to admire the architecture as he ran straight for the back exit, the one Aulus put in at Daniel's insistence in case of emergency. That door, too, had rotted away, enabling Daniel to keep right on running.

Daniel had to pause occasionally in his dash through the city to catch his breath and rest. By the time he made it to the western edge of the city, he was exhausted. He stopped, hands braced on his knees, lungs heaving. He looked at the long stretch of road that was laid out before him. If the Jaffa got here before he'd made it far enough down the road, they'd be able to see him, yet, if he left the road and used the grass for cover, they'd spot his trail and track him. As it was, he'd have to be careful to walk only on the stones of the road, avoiding the grass, dirt and everything else that would show his passage.

Maybe this had been a bad idea. Maybe he should have just found someplace in the city to hide. But it was too late now. He couldn't go back. By now, there could be several dozen Jaffa seeking the Tau'ri who were here. He had to keep going.

Moving at a walk out of necessity, Daniel struck out onto the road that would take him to the Furling ruins. He trod as carefully as possible, avoiding stepping on anything that would leave a trace that he had been there. He just hoped that the heavy rainfall had hidden the tracks that he, his teammates, and Jacob made four days ago.

Daniel frequently stopped and looked behind him, eyes searching for any sign of Jaffa. When he reached a bend in the road, he relaxed a little bit, knowing that the tall weeds would partially hide him from view. He took the opportunity to stop and sit down for some desperately needed rest and a drink of water. After allowing himself five minutes, he rose to his knees, holding a pair of binoculars. Remaining hidden behind the grass, he searched the edge of the city for signs of Jaffa. He was just getting ready to lower the binoculars when he spotted something. His heart sinking, he saw six Jaffa come into view at the head of the road leading out of the city. They paused and appeared to have a discussion.

"Don't come this way," he said in a murmur. Thirty seconds later, they completely ignored what he'd said and started down the road.

"Crap."

Not knowing what to do now, Daniel sat back down on the road. How was he going to make it the rest of the way to the ruins without being spotted? Yes, with the lead he had, if he made a run for it, he'd be able to reach them before the Jaffa caught up to him, but then what? The last thing he wanted to do was attract attention to those ruins. If they believed he was hiding in there and realized that there was a door blocking the entrance to another room, they might start blasting it to get inside. Eventually, they'd get through, and then they'd find the time machine.

That's when a horrible thought struck Daniel. In two days, Jacob and his teammates would be coming through the gate, totally unaware of what was going on here. Would the Jaffa be gone by then? If not, his friends would walk right into their hands.


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

His mind trying to figure out a way that he was going to get out of this and help his team, Daniel lifted his gaze to the tall weeds beside him. Would they be tall enough to hide him? There really was only one way to find out.

Slowly, Daniel got to his feet, being careful to remain crouched low. With his knees flexed and his back bent over at almost a right angle to the rest of his body, he began to move forward. Every step was a struggle as he fought to keep his profile as low as possible, yet also tread only on the weather-worn and broken stones of the road. Within minutes, his back felt like it was on fire, the muscles screaming at him to straighten up. He almost lost his balance several times while stepping over patches of grass. Every time he looked ahead to the spot in the road where he would no longer be in the Jaffas' eyesight, it barely seemed to be any closer. Would he even make it there before the Jaffa caught up to him?

At right around the time that Daniel became positive that he wasn't going to make it, he did. Slowly, he straightened, gasping at the pain that flared hotly through his back, a few vertebrae popping loudly. He could foresee a trip to a chiropractor in his near future.

Giving himself no time to recover, Daniel took off at a slow trot, still having to be careful where he stepped. Time was of the essence now. The Jaffa would have gained a lot on him, and if he didn't make it to the ruins soon, they'd reach a point in the road where they could see him.

At last, he reached the spot on the road closest to the ruins. He studied the ground between him and the structure. Muddy from the rain, it would show his footprints like a neon sign with big red letters saying, "He went this way!"

Daniel looked further up the road. If the ruins were the reason why the Jaffa were coming this way, they would go no further than this. They might not see his footprints if he approached the ruins from a few yards further up the road.

Deciding that it was the only thing he could do, Daniel continued up the road another six yards. He then stopped and took off his shoes. In his stocking feet, he ventured into the weeds, trying to disturb them as little as possible. He also tried to ignore the feeling of his wet and muddy socks. At last, he made it to the paved area around the ruins. He put his boots back on and headed for the entrance, breathing a sigh of relief. He was home-free now. All he had to do was jump forward in time to the same day that SG-1 and Jacob left on the mission and get Hammond to send troops back to a point in time shortly before Jack and the others would be arriving back on Estrania. They could deal with any Jaffa in the city and at the gate, clearing the way for Jacob and Daniel's team.

Reaching the entrance of the ruins, Daniel stepped inside, the remote in his hand. He pressed the button, and the door opened. As he took another step, he heard a sound off to the right. He turned to see what had made it.

"Oh, shit," he gasped.

* * *

"All I can say is that Daniel better not have done what I told him not to do and gone into one of those buildings," Jack said as they approached the Stargate.

"He said that he wouldn't, sir," Sam responded. "He wouldn't break a promise unless he had no choice."

"Ah, but, now that I think about it, he didn't actually promise."

"Even so, sir, I still think that he'd do what he agreed to."

Sam stopped before the DHD and dialed the address for Estrania, and the four of them strode through the gate. They came out the other side to the shocking sight of Daniel's camp in shambles, everything strewn about on the ground. There was no sign of the archeologist.

"Crap. This isn't good," Jack said, his stomach tightening.

Senses on alert and weapons raised, they moved forward, spreading out a bit.

"Someone really tore this place apart," Sam said, terribly worried about what might have happened to Daniel.

"O'Neill." The others turned to Teal'c, who was staring down at the ground. "There is a footprint here in the mud."

"Daniel's?" Jack asked.

"No. It belongs to a Jaffa."

Sam gasped. "Oh, no."

The tightness in Jack's stomach was now a hard knot. Jaffa had come through the gate, and Daniel had no weapons except his sidearm and no one to help him.

"Dammit, my instincts were telling me that we shouldn't have left him here alone," he said. "I should have listened to them."

"This footprint was made some time ago," Teal'c said, deeply concerned for the safety of his friend, "perhaps two days."

"Which means that, if they got Daniel, they're probably long gone." Jack really did not want to think about what might have happened to his best friend.

"He might have managed to escape," Sam said hopefully. "He knows this city really well. He might have found a hiding place."

"Then where is he? If the Jaffa _were_ still here, there would be some guarding the gate."

Though she didn't want to admit it, he was right. If Daniel had avoided getting caught, he'd be here waiting for them.

Jack reached for his radio, but then decided against trying to contact Daniel. If some of the Jaffa were still here, alerting them to Daniel's location might not be a good idea.

"We need to get back to our time," Jacob said.

Jack turned and glared at him. "Right now, Jacob, I'm a little more concerned about Daniel than in getting that thing back to the SGC."

"I'm worried, too, Jack. I didn't say that because I want to get the matrix module and blood sample back to the SGC. If we go back to our time, we might be able to find out what happened to Daniel. If he was taken captive, the news would eventually reach Stargate Command, and the Tok'ra might know something as well."

Sam nodded. "I agree that's what we need to do, but I have to wonder how this has affected the timeline. There's no telling how news of the capture of a flesh and blood Daniel might have impacted history."

"Well, I guess we'll find out when we get there," Jack responded. "Let's leave everything here that we don't need so that we can move faster."

They left the cots and other unneeded items and headed out.

"If Daniel Jackson was captured and taken to a Goa'uld, they may now know about the time travel device," Teal'c stated.

"Daniel's strong, T," Jack said. "It would take a hell of a lot to break him."

"Indeed, O'Neill. However, there are ways other than torture for a Goa'uld to obtain knowledge."

"You mean making him a host," Jacob said.

Jack shook his head. "Don't say that. Don't even _think_ it."

"I guess we'll know when we attempt to go back home," Sam said, almost feeling sick with worry.

"How so?"

"If a Goa'uld found out about the device, they'd take it, which would make it impossible for us to go forward in time any further than when they took it. If we manage to get all the way to the correct time, that means they couldn't have found out about the device." She had a sudden, horrible thought. "Oh, God."

Everyone else turned to her.

"What is it, Sam?" her father asked.

"In Daniel's report about the things that happened while he was back in time, he said that a Goa'uld named Enlil came to Estrania, wanting Egeria to spawn for him. He spotted Daniel and decided that he wanted him for his new host. Daniel said that he was planning on killing himself to avoid being taken as a host because he couldn't let the Goa'uld find out about Earth and the time device."

"You are thinking that Daniel Jackson would take his own life if he believed that there was no other way to avoid capture," Teal'c said grimly.

Everyone fell silent, thinking about the possibility that Daniel's dead body might be lying somewhere amidst these ruins.

"If that . . . happened, we could undo it, couldn't we?" Jack asked. "We could just go back in time to three days ago. Then we'd be here to help him out."

Sam shook her head. "I'm afraid not, sir. The time device wouldn't allow it. According to what Daniel pieced together from the writing, the device keeps a record for each traveler and will not allow anyone to overlap their own trip, meaning that because we've already come back to this time, we couldn't come back again."

"Then we'll send another team back!" Jack almost yelled, starting to feel a little desperate.

Sam's head now nodded. "That might work, sir."

No one said anything more, every one of them thinking about what might have happened to Daniel.

_'This isn't fair,'_ Sam was thinking. _'We couldn't have saved Egeria only to lose Daniel. He's supposed to be here, eagerly waiting for her consciousness to be put in Ria's body. Now, he might never get the chance to see her.'_

They'd made it about halfway to the edge of the city when they caught a flash of movement up ahead. Quickly, they headed for cover. Crouched behind the remains of a wall, they waited, each of them hoping that it was Daniel they'd see. Instead, they were surprised when SG-5 and half of SG-11 came into view.

Breaking cover, SG-1 and Jacob stepped forward.

"Sir," greeted Major Harper, the leader of SG-5. "It's good to see you, Colonel. We didn't know if the Jaffa were gone."

"How did you know about the Jaffa?" Sam asked.

"Doctor Jackson told us."

"Daniel's okay?" Jack and Sam asked at the same time.

"Yes, sir, ma'am."

"Where is he?" Jack asked.

"Back at the SGC. He managed to make it to the time device and returned to our time. He told us about the situation here. We were supposed to be at the gate when you got here, but I guess we were off in our timing."

"Why didn't Daniel come through with you?" Sam questioned.

"Because he was injured, ma'am."

"You said he was okay!" Jack yelled.

"It isn't serious, sir. He sprained his wrist."

"How did he sprain. . . . Never mind. I'll ask him myself."

The leader of SG-11 looked down at the case Jacob was carrying. "How did the mission go, Colonel?"

"Beautifully. Went off without a hitch. Come on. Let's get the stuff we left at the gate and get out of here."

As they began to walk, the thought went through Jack's mind that he should have known that, if there was going to be trouble on this mission, it would be Daniel who'd get into it.

* * *

Daniel stood in the control room, impatiently waiting and worrying about his teammates.

Right after arriving back in the present and telling Hammond about the Jaffa, Daniel suddenly realized something. If his teammates had run afoul of the Jaffa on Estrania and come out the losers, it would be recorded in history. The SGC would already know, for the capture or killing of three members of SG-1 would be pretty big news. Not only that but it would also be pretty confusing news to the earlier version of Jack, Sam and Teal'c and would probably have radically altered the course events. After thinking about it for just a few seconds, Daniel started getting a headache from the confusing tangle of paradoxes.

However, just because history seemed to indicate that Jacob and his teammates weren't captured or killed, that didn't mean that they'd escape unharmed. Daniel really wished that he could have gone with SG-5 and 11, but Janet had flatly refused to allow it, pointing out that, with his sprained wrist, he wouldn't be able to properly hold a firearm.

The archeologist stared at the bandages around his right wrist. All things considered, he was extremely lucky that he got off the planet with only a minor injury, but he was too busy thinking about what injuries his teammates might suffer if the Jaffa were still there when they arrived. Would the two teams Hammond sent be enough? They had been the only ones available, so there hadn't really been an option to send more, even if three teams would have fit inside the circle. Again, Daniel cursed the injury that had kept him from going along. Yes, he would have been only one more person, but he'd feel a whole lot better if he was there rather than here.

The sound of the Stargate beginning to dial had Daniel's head jerking up. A moment later, he heard footsteps and looked over to see Hammond coming down the stairs from his office. The general came up to stand beside him.

As the wormhole was established, the eyes of both men went to Sergeant Harriman.

"Receiving IDC, sir," he said. Then he smiled. "It's SG-1."

Daniel was immediately heading for the stairs to the gate room. He entered the room just as the FRED came rolling through, SG-5 right behind it, followed by SG-11, then, at last, his teammates and Jacob. By that time he'd been joined by General Hammond.

"Welcome back, SG-1," the general greeted.

"Thank you, sir," Jack responded. He turned to the fourth member of his team. "Good to see you, Daniel," Jack said.

"We were really worried about you when we came through and saw the condition of the camp," Sam told him.

Daniel frowned. "SG-5 and 11 weren't there yet?"

"No, they ended up running a little late," Jack replied. "I guess whoever was doing the thinking didn't quite manage to think the right time."

"Then I guess the Jaffa were gone."

"Yep. Nary a one around to cause trouble. You were the one who got to have all the fun."

"Yes. Lucky me."

Jack pointed at the archeologist's bandaged wrist. "So, care to tell us how you got that?"

"It's not important right now. It can wait till later." Daniel's gaze fell upon the case sitting on the FRED. "You got it?"

Jacob smiled. "We got it."

"No problems at all," Jack said.

"That's good to hear," Hammond said. "Okay, go take care of your post-mission checkups. We'll debrief in one hour."

As Sam, Jack and Teal'c got their checkups, Daniel joined Jacob in the room in which the cryogenic chambers had been set up, stopping briefly to hand over Egeria's blood sample to Janet, who would properly store it.

The archeologist's gaze went first to Patricia, who looked so small inside her chamber, then to Ria, the occupant of the second one.

"How are they doing?" he asked Doctor Bill Lee.

"Good. There was no problem transferring Patricia's consciousness mind into the active matrix module, and the vital signs of both her and Ria have been holding steady." He looked down at the case Jacob had set on the floor. "So, you got it. This is going to be exciting. Transferring the entire knowledge of a Goa'uld queen into a human brain is going to be interesting."

Daniel frowned. "Do you think there will be a problem? I mean, it's not going to be anything like what happened when Jack got the Ancient download, is it?"

Bill shook his hand. "No, no. The amount of data we're talking about is a mere fraction of the amount that was downloaded into Colonel O'Neill. A human brain shouldn't have any trouble at all holding all of Egeria's memories and knowledge. We should go easy, though. We'll want to give Ria's brain a chance to absorb all the data. I'm going to recommend that we do the transfer at a slower rate than normal, just to be on the safe side, you understand."

Jacob nodded. "When a Tok'ra blends with a host, they don't share all their memories at once. It would be too overwhelming to the host. They do it bit by bit, letting the person get accustomed to all the new stuff."

"Exactly."

"Has Ellan arrived yet?"

"I have," replied a voice from the entrance. The others turned to see a tall, thin Tok'ra enter the room. The scientist came forward, his eyes focused upon the case. He knelt before it and laid a hand upon it almost reverently. He then looked up at Jacob. "Did you tell our queen that she would live on?"

Jacob shook his head. "I couldn't. We had to make sure that she didn't say or do anything differently from what she did in the previous version of history."

Ellan got to his feet. "Of course. When will the transfer take place?"

"Once Doctor Fraiser and my daughter can be here, which I assume will be after the mission debriefing."

* * *

Since the mission to get Egeria's consciousness was accomplished without any problems, it didn't take very long to debrief. Then, however, came the debriefing for Daniel's little adventure. He had already briefly explained what happened to Hammond, but his teammates were dying to know.

"Fortunately, I wasn't at camp when the Jaffa came through," he said. "When I saw a big storm approaching, I decided to take shelter under the roof of one of the buildings instead of sitting it out inside my tent."

"So, you _did_ go inside one of them," Jack said. "I just _knew_ you would."

Daniel stared at him. "No, Jack. I told you that I wouldn't do that. I just sat on what you'd probably call the porch. It rained for several hours. When it finally stopped, I decided to go check on the camp."

He went on to recall what happened after that up to the point where the six Jaffa began heading toward Daniel's position.

"It is likely that the Jaffa were going to examine the Furling ruins," Teal'c stated.

"Yeah, that's what I figured."

"So, what did you do?" Sam asked.

"It had suddenly occurred to me that, if the Jaffa were still there when you guys got back, you'd be in big trouble. That's when I knew that I absolutely had to get to the time device so that I could come back to this time and get help sent through to you. I knew that if I could make it just a couple hundred yards further up the road, the Jaffa wouldn't be able to see me anymore. The problem was that, where I was at that point, I knew that I'd very likely be spotted if I started walking again. The weeds on the side of the road were quite high, so I crouched down as low as I could and managed to make it to where I'd be out of sight. It took a while, and my back was killing me, but I made it. Then I covered the rest of the distance as fast as I could. Unfortunately, when I went inside the Furling ruins, I discovered that I wasn't alone in there."

Jack sat up straight. "You mean a Jaffa got there ahead of you?"

"Uhhh, nooo, it . . . wasn't a Jaffa."

"Then what was it, Daniel?"

"I have no idea. Some kind of animal, an extremely large carnivorous animal, or at least I'm guessing it was carnivorous based upon the size of its teeth and claws."

"Oh, boy," Sam said.

"I don't know who was more surprised, it or me." Daniel paused. "I'd say me. Once it got over its surprise, I guess it decided that I looked like I might be a good meal and came at me. I couldn't shoot it because my shot would be heard by the Jaffa, so I took the only other sensible course of action and ran like hell. I'd already opened the door to the chamber with the remote, so that's where I headed. I'd almost made it when the thing must have caught the leg of my pants with its claws. I went sprawling, which is how I got this." He held up his bandaged wrist. "Thankfully, I fell right into the chamber. I didn't waste any time hitting the button on the remote. I guess the thing saw the door coming at it and jumped back."

Jack shook his head. "Only you, Daniel, would run into both a small army of Jaffa and an alien carnivorous wild beast on the same mission."

"Yeah, just lucky, I guess. Anyway, I locked down the door so that it wouldn't open after I went forward in time. Once I got to this time, I made it back to the gate and came home. I wanted to go back with SG-5 and 11, but Janet wouldn't let me, though I did have to go to Estrania with them to show them how to use the device."

Jack turned to Hammond. "Sir, I'm assuming that, given what happened, you didn't let Daniel take that last trip back to the gate by himself."

"No, I didn't, Colonel. There weren't any other teams available, so I sent a couple of SFs for company." The general looked about at everyone. "If there's nothing else, you are all dismissed. Major Carter, I do believe that they are waiting for you at the cryogenic chambers."

Sam and all three of her teammates went up to Level 21 and to the room where the cryogenic capsules were. Already there were Jacob, Janet, Bill Lee and Ellan, one of the scientists who'd helped adapt the technology to work with a symbiote.

"We have begun the process of reconnecting the matrix module to the empty capsule," Ellan said.

Sam stepped forward and helped with the rest of the process.

"Okay, now comes the dangerous part," she said once they were finished.

"Dangerous part?" Jack inquired.

"Taking Ria's body out of the other capsule," Janet replied. "Normally, a sleeper's body is kept in cryogenic suspension until their consciousness has been restored. The problem is that to remove someone from a capsule without their consciousness present has some risks. It's never been done before. Though the autonomic nervous system should keep her heart, lungs and other bodily functions working, I can't predict what kind of reaction there might be. Her brain will be a completely blank slate, more so than even a baby in the womb. We are going to have to get her into the other capsule as quickly as possible."

Sam nodded. "We're ready when you are, Janet."

Daniel, Jack and Teal'c stood back out of the way as the others got to work on the process of moving Ria's body. Janet watched the life sign readings like a hawk as the woman was brought out of cryogenic suspension. The second it was complete, Ellan and Jacob carefully lifted her body out of the capsule and put it in the other one. Then the process was reversed, and she was returned to cryogenic suspension.

"All right. That went well," Janet said approvingly. She checked the readings. "She seems to be holding steady. I think we're ready for the transfer."

Upon hearing that, Daniel couldn't keep himself from taking a step forward. He never took his eyes off the proceedings as Egeria's consciousness was slowly downloaded into Ria's brain. As Bill called out the rate of progress, Daniel's heart rate climbed, his body growing tense. A part of him couldn't believe that this was actually happening, that, very soon, he'd be reunited with Egeria.

After what seemed like forever, the transfer was complete, and the woman who was now Egeria was revived from cryogenic suspension. She was laid on a gurney and wheeled to one of the private infirmary rooms.

"Shouldn't she be waking up?" Jack asked.

Janet shook her head. "This was to be expected. If it was Ria's own consciousness that had been put back in her brain, yes, she would wake up almost immediately, but her brain needs to adjust to not only having a new consciousness in it but one with vastly more knowledge and memories. It might be an hour or two before she awakens. We'll keep monitoring her vitals, and I'll have a nurse stay in the room."

"I'll stay," Daniel immediately said.

Janet turned to him and saw how his eyes remained on Egeria.

"Okay. Then I guess it'll be Daniel who keeps her company. I will contact everyone the moment she wakes up."

Everyone except Daniel left the room, Jack being the last to leave. He looked back and watched as Daniel went up to the bed and took Egeria's hand in his. Wondering what all this might mean for his team, the grey-haired man then turned and left.

* * *

Unfamiliar sounds gradually filtered into Egeria's consciousness. Then came the feeling of lying on a soft surface. A bright light was shining through her eyelids.

Slowly, Egeria's eyes blinked open. Through blurry vision, she could make out the shape of a face above hers. A familiar, gentle voice was speaking to her. As her vision cleared, the face came into focus.

"Daniel?" she whispered, unable to believe her eyes.

He smiled down at her. "Yeah."

Egeria blinked a few times. "Am I dead?"

The archeologist laughed, recalling that she asked that same question last time. "No, you are very much alive."

"But I do not understand."

"There is a lot to explain, but, right at this moment, what you need to know is that this is real. I'm really here, you're really here." He clasped one of her hands between both of his. "It isn't a dream, or a vision, or anything else."

In the next second, Daniel's arms were full as Egeria threw herself into them. He pulled her close and just held her as she began to cry.

After nearly a minute, she lifted her head. Her fingertips caressed his cheek.

"My Daniel," she murmured, smiling through her tears. "Tell me this is truly not a dream."

"It's not a dream, Egeria. I swear it's real, all of it."

Overjoyed, Egeria filled her gaze with every inch of his beloved face. She wanted to pull his lips down to hers, to kiss him again and again. It took a monumental act of will not to do so.

It was then that it finally penetrated her thoughts that she was in the body of a host. But something was wrong. She could sense no other consciousness within the body. And then she realized something else. She could not feel her symbiote body. All she could feel was the human one.

"What has happened? I appear to be in a host, but there is no other consciousness with me, and I have no awareness of my symbiote body."

"Um, yeah. It's a really long story. I'll tell you the whole thing later on. Right now I'll just say that the body you're in is . . . on loan to you. We copied your consciousness into it. It belongs to a woman named Ria, who volunteered to let you use it for a while. Her consciousness is being stored temporarily. Once some friends of ours show up, we're going to clone your symbiote body with the DNA from the blood we took from you, then your consciousness will be transferred into it."

Stunned, Egeria absorbed the shocking revelation. Her eyes met Daniel's. "But what about you? How can you be alive?"

"Ah, well, that's another long story. Here. Let's get you sitting up in bed."

Daniel raised the back of the bed to a seated position, and Egeria settled against it. That's when she noticed that his right hand and wrist were wrapped in bandages.

"You are injured."

Daniel glanced at his hand. "It's nothing serious, just a mild sprain."

Egeria looked around and saw that she was in a room with unfamiliar equipment, some of which were attached to her via wires.

"Where am I?"

"You're on the first world, Egeria, Earth." Daniel paused. "My homeworld."

Surprised yet again, the woman stared at him, her eyes filled with questions.

"When you met me, I had accidentally traveled back in time, Egeria, from _this_ time. For me, it's been only three years since we said goodbye on Estrania."

Egeria was amazed by the revelation. She could understand, though, why he had kept this a secret. If the Goa'uld had somehow found out, they would have destroyed Earth to prevent its people from becoming a future threat.

She shook her head. "It is all so incredible. There are so many things I want to know, so much I want you to tell me."

Daniel smiled. "That will have to wait, I'm afraid. I need to get the doctor in here so that she can check you out. Oh, by the way, you'll want to speak in some other language besides Goa'uld. The translator in the gate won't work for it, and I'm one of the few people here who understand it."

Daniel got on the phone to Janet. She arrived around a minute later.

"Egeria, this is Doctor Janet Fraiser," Daniel said. "She's the Chief Medical Officer here."

"It is an honor to meet you," Egeria greeted in Latin, which the gate translated.

Janet smiled. "Well, thank you. I have to say that it's quite an honor to meet you, too. So, how are you feeling?"

"I am feeling well, although it is strange to feel only this human body rather than both it and my symbiote body."

Janet asked some more questions and did a brief examination.

"Well, you seem to be doing just fine," she announced. "I'd better notify the others." She got on the phone and talked for a couple of minutes. As she hung up, she said, "They're on their way."

Within a matter of minutes, Daniel's teammates, Hammond, Jacob and Ellan were all there, Sam's father being the last to enter. When Egeria saw him, she held out her hand to him.

"Selmak."

The Tok'ra came forward and took her hand, smiling. "Egeria," he said in Selmak's voice. "It is so very good to see you again."

Egeria pulled him to her and wrapped him in a joyful hug. "I did not think that I would ever see you again."

"Neither did I." Selmak pulled back slightly. "I cannot tell you how glad I am that you are back with us."

She smiled and released him, studying his face. "This host you are in, he has a good face. I would like to meet him."

Selmak's head bowed for a moment as Jacob took over.

"Hello. I'm Jacob Carter. It's a pleasure to meet you. Selmak's told me all about you."

"It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Jacob. Have you been Selmak's host for long?"

"No, not really, just a few years."

Egeria's eyes went to the other Tok'ra in the room. "And who is this?" she asked with a smile.

Ellan came forward. "I am Ellan, My Queen," he replied in a tone of reverence.

"Ellan." Egeria searched her memory, but found no remembrance of the name. "You are one of my children born when I was in hiding?"

"Yes, among the last ones."

Egeria nodded. Many of the Tok'ra chose their names after they were blended with their first host, which meant that she knew only some of the names of the children she gave birth to in those last few years. That saddened her, and she hoped that, now, she would get the chance to meet many of them.

She turned to Sam and Jack. "I know your faces. You were with Selmak on Pangar."

"That's right," Sam confirmed. "I'm Samantha Carter."

"Carter?" She glanced at the host of Selmak.

"Sam's my daughter," Jacob explained.

Sam gestured toward Jack. "This is Colonel Jack O'Neill."

Teal'c stepped forward. "And I am Teal'c."

Egeria studied him carefully. "Teal'c. You are the First Prime of Apophis."

The Jaffa's face darkened. "I am no longer. Apophis is dead, and I am a free Jaffa who swears no allegiance to any false god."

"Teal'c fights with us against the Goa'uld," Daniel explained. "So do a lot of other Jaffa, and more are being added to their ranks every day."

"This is wonderful news," Egeria said. "I am deeply honored to meet a Jaffa who had the wisdom and courage to see the Goa'uld for what they are and chose to serve them no longer."

Teal'c inclined his head. "And I am greatly honored to meet the Goa'uld who rejected the evil of her own kind and chose to fight against them."

Daniel introduced Egeria to General Hammond, who welcomed her to Earth and to the SGC.

"I am pleased to be here," she said, "but I must know why this thing was done. Why did you copy my consciousness and place it in this body? You said that it was to save thousands of lives."

Daniel looked at Janet. "Is it okay if she gets up?"

"I don't see why not. I'll get her a robe."

Once Egeria had been disconnected from the life signs monitor and had donned a robe and a pair of slippers, Daniel led her to the room with the cryogenic capsules, the others following.

"This is Patricia," the archeologist said as they came up to the occupied capsule. "She is being kept in a state of cryogenic suspension, which is somewhat like what Ra did to you."

"She appears to be ill," Egeria said, frowning.

"She's dying," Janet explained, "from an illness we can't cure."

"As are thousands of other children on her planet," Daniel said. He turned to the woman beside him. "Egeria, Patricia and her people are the descendants of the human inhabitants of Estrania."

Egeria drew in a sharp breath. "My people?"

Daniel nodded. "In fact, Patricia is a direct descendant of Titus. Around fifteen hundred years after you sent them through to their new home, their population was decimated by a plague. Though the plague eventually came to an end, several years later, it appeared in a different form, or at least that's what we suspect."

"The new form affects only children below the age of puberty," Janet said. "It strikes one in twenty children and is always fatal."

Filled with deep sorrow, Egeria stepped forward and touched the glass front of the chamber.

"And there is nothing that can be done?" she asked.

"Well, that's where we're hoping you will come in," Sam replied. "You see, the people tried to cure the sick children with the sarcophagus you left with them, but, for some reason, it caused instantaneous addiction. We think that has something to do with the disease. The children couldn't survive the withdrawal, and they all died."

"I thought of the drug you took when you used the sarcophagus," Daniel told the black-haired woman. "We're hoping that if we inject the kids with the drug before putting them in the sarcophagus, it'll prevent them from becoming addicted."

Egeria nodded. "Yes, it is likely that it would do so, although they will be in great pain."

"We can manage the pain with drugs," Janet said. "It's far better than the alternative."

"Yes, and they will have to use it only once, so the pain will be temporary."

"Then you'll give it to us?" Jack asked.

Egeria turned to him. "Yes, of course. I only hope that you will be able to make it with what you have available to you."

"If there are any ingredients that we can't get on Earth, the Tok'ra can probably get hold of them," Jacob said.

Determination hardened Egeria's features. "Then let us get started immediately."


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

As Janet got some clothes for Egeria, Hammond and Daniel's teammates left, the latter three telling the archeologist that they'd see him later.

"They are your friends," Egeria guessed.

Daniel nodded. "And my teammates."

Figuring that now would be a good time to do so, the archeologist told Egeria the rest of the story about how she came to be there.

"So, my original consciousness died with my body," she said.

"Yes, but not before she . . . you gave the Pangarans what they needed to save their people. But you didn't just save them, Egeria. You saved the Jaffa race as well. Teal'c and several other rebel Jaffa no longer carry Goa'uld larvae. Thanks to you and the Tok'ras' ability to synthesize Tretonin, they are no longer dependent on the Goa'uld for survival. We're hoping that a day will come when all Jaffa are using Tretonin."

"That would be a great day." Egeria smiled. "You have brought me to this time to the wonderful news that the days of the Goa'uld are surely numbered."

Janet returned with some civilian clothes that she'd borrowed from one of her nurses. She took Egeria to the bathroom and helped her get dressed. While she was at it, she also instructed the woman on how the toilet, sink, and towel dispenser worked.

"We could dress you in BDUs, but I figured that you'd be more comfortable in civilian clothing," the doctor said.

"BDUs?" Egeria repeated.

"Battle Dress Uniform. It's what many of the personnel here wear."

"Ah, the clothing Daniel and his teammates are wearing."

"That's right. It's not especially attractive, but it's practical."

"Is Daniel in your world's military?"

"No, he's a civilian, although he is equally as capable as any of the military personnel in a battle situation. He's had to learn to be in order to survive."

Egeria shook her head in wonder. "On Estrania, he was a scholar and an architect. It is strange for me to think of him fighting in battles."

"Well, it took him several years to really get used to doing that, and, even now, I know that he wishes that it wasn't necessary."

Egeria looked at the doctor closely. "Then why does he do it? Are there not other duties he could perform that would not require that he fight?"

"Well, Daniel is also the lead archeologist and linguistic expert in the program, as well as our lead negotiator, so he has a great many duties to perform besides going out on missions. If he wanted to, he could leave SG-1, his team, and just work on base, but I think Daniel feels that he also needs to be going out there in the galaxy, helping the people we encounter, doing all he can to stop the Goa'uld."

Egeria nodded, her expression softening with admiration and affection. "Yes, that is no surprise. He has a great need to help people all he can."

Janet studied the woman. "You two became pretty close, I'm guessing."

Egeria smiled softly. "He is the dearest friend I have ever had. He became very precious to me."

Wondering if their relationship had been more than just friends, Janet exited the infirmary with Egeria and took her to the lab that had been set up for making the drug. Daniel, Jacob and Ellan were there, along with one of the program's civilian scientists, a chemist named Doctor Albert Breck. Daniel introduced the former Goa'uld queen to the man.

"Well, since I will be of absolutely no use to you with this, I'm going to go get my report done," he then said.

Egeria's gaze went to him. "I will see you again later?"

"Uh huh. I'll come back in a while and see how you guys are doing."

Egeria watched him leave, wishing that he would stay if for no other reason than that she could look upon his face. A part of her still feared that this was some kind of dream, that she would soon awaken to find herself still a prisoner of the Pangarans. It all seemed just too wonderful that she was not only free but was also with Daniel again.

"Shall we get started?" asked Ellan, his voice bringing Egeria's mind back to the task at hand.

She nodded and stepped forward, now focused fully upon the task of saving Egerania's children.

* * *

It was well into the evening when Daniel returned to the lab. Egeria smiled upon seeing him.

"How's it going?" he asked.

"We're coming right along," Jacob replied. "Most of the chemicals are ones that we can get here. There are just a few that we're going to have to get off-world. Ellan will be leaving in a bit to go see about that."

"That's good news." Daniel turned to Egeria. "Are you getting hungry? I thought that we could get something to eat, if you can leave for a while."

"I would like that very much." She looked at the two Tok'ra and Doctor Breck. "Can you carry on without me for a short while?"

"Sure," Jacob replied. "Actually, we really should all take a break and eat something. I'm pretty hungry myself."

Ellan got to his feet. "I will leave for the Tok'ra base now, then. I will return when I have obtained all of the required chemicals." He turned to Egeria and bowed his head deeply. "If it pleases you, I will pass on a greeting from you to the Tok'ra High Council, My Queen. They are all eager to see you."

"It would please me greatly for you to do so. However, I wish for you not to address me as 'My Queen'. I am not your sovereign, Ellan. I am Egeria, your mother. Please call me one of those two things."

The Tok'ra scientist paused, then nodded once. "I will be honored, then, to call you by your name." Saying that he would be back as soon as possible, he then left.

Jacob joined Daniel and Egeria for dinner in the commissary, Doctor Breck choosing to get something to take back to the lab so that he could keep working.

Selecting the items for Egeria's dinner proved to take a while as Daniel explained what each thing she didn't recognize was and tried to describe what it tasted like. When they got to the dessert section, she saw something she recognized immediately.

"Is that chocolate?" she asked with an eager smile.

Daniel looked at the piece of cake. "It sure is," he answered with a little smile.

"Oh, may I have some? I have not had chocolate in so very long."

"You bet." He picked up the plate and set it on her tray.

Upon sitting at a table, Egeria wanted to eat the cake right away, but she knew that she needed to eat her dinner first. She tried each thing on her plate one at a time, finding that she liked some things far better than others. She did not like the thing called cauliflower at all, finding it too bland.

"I'm not a fan of it either," Daniel told her, "although it's not bad mixed with broccoli."

He turned back to his own meal and resumed eating, unaware that Egeria was now watching him. Jacob was quite aware of it, however. From his place at the table, he had a ringside seat to the way that Egeria's eyes were all but devouring the archeologist. There could be no mistaking the look that was in those eyes and written all over her face.

_'She still loves him,'_ Selmak said inside his host's mind.

_'Oh, yeah. That's quite obvious. So, what do you think this is going to mean? Once she's in her new symbiote body and blended with a host, she'll be rejoining the Tok'ra.'_

_'Yes, you are right.'_ The Tok'ra watched as Egeria and Daniel began a conversation, the dark-haired woman's attention focused intently upon the archeologist. _'But that is not the only issue. Once Egeria is in her cloned body, she will be a young queen again with her entire life span ahead of her. Daniel is a human. Even if he agreed to become a Tok'ra, which I seriously doubt he would, he still would not live nearly as long as her.'_

Jacob sighed internally. _'So, sooner or later, she's going to lose him again.'_

Egeria managed to fight temptation and finished her dinner before digging her fork into the chocolate cake. Daniel watched in amusement as she put a piece in her mouth, her eyes closing at her first taste of chocolate in hundreds of years.

"Mmmm," she sighed blissfully as she chewed. When she opened her eyes, she saw Daniel grinning at her, his blue eyes bright with laughter.

"Taste good?" he inquired.

She swallowed the piece and scooped up another. "Oh, yes." She paid more attention to the flavor on the next bite. "I believe it tastes different from the chocolate you created."

"Yeah, it would. This is the real thing, not something put together with substitute ingredients."

Egeria shook her head. "Yours was equally as delicious, Daniel. It was simply a little different."

"Well, thank you. If I ever decided to quit the program, I guess I can start a career making chocolate."

"Yeah, and forget about just going global. You could go _galactic_," Jacob suggested, smiling slightly.

Daniel shook his head. "The shipping costs would be murder."

Once Egeria had consumed every crumb of the cake, she, Daniel and Jacob returned to the lab. Daniel then went back to his office.

It was going on ten o'clock when he looked up to see Egeria standing in the doorway.

"Hey," he greeted with a smile. "Are you done for the night?"

Egeria came in the room. "Yes, there is not much more that we can do until Ellan returns with the other chemicals." She looked around. "This is where you work?"

"Yep. Actually, I just about live here, when I'm not on a mission."

Egeria's eyes focused upon him. "You do not have a wife and children now?"

Daniel shook his head. "No, I never remarried. The truth is that I was . . . gone during one of these last three years," Daniel said.

Egeria was puzzled by the odd way he said the word "gone" and the look that was on his face. "What do you mean?"

Daniel paused for a moment. "I wasn't planning on telling you this quite so soon. You see, around a year and a half ago, there was an accident off-world."

The archeologist told Egeria the whole story of the radiation sickness, his ascension, what he knew about the year he was ascended, and the circumstances of his return to human form. Egeria's eyes were wide and filled with wonder at the tale.

"This is extraordinary," she said. "I know of the Ancients, as do all Goa'uld. It is incredible that you were among them for a year." She smiled. "This Oma Desala chose wisely in selecting you to join them."

Daniel ducked his head. "Well, I don't know about that. I'd say that there was probably more than one of the Ascended who thought I was a pain in the ass."

Egeria laughed softly. "And why is that, my Daniel?"

"You should know, Egeria. You had firsthand experience on how stubborn I can be when I'm trying to get someone to see things a certain way."

The mother of the Tok'ra smiled fondly. "Not stubborn, my dear Daniel, perseverant."

"Oh, Jack would definitely argue with you on that point." Noticing that she looked a little tired, he got to his feet. "I'm sure that you'd like to get some sleep. I'll take you to your room."

As they exited the office, Daniel saw a sergeant standing a few feet away, who straightened from his relaxed stance upon seeing them. Realizing that he was probably Egeria's escort, the archeologist told the man that he'd take over. The sergeant bid them good night and left.

Daniel and Egeria descended to Level 25. As they got off the elevator and headed down the corridor, the linguist said, "We got lucky with your quarters. Normally, guests are put in the section with the VIP rooms, but the room right across from mine was empty, so I got them to put you there. In that way, if you have problems or want to talk about something, I'll be right there across the hall from you."

They stopped at one of the doors, and Daniel ran his keycard through the lock, telling Egeria that he'd get her a keycard tomorrow. They entered the room.

"It isn't much," Daniel said, "certainly nothing compared to your chambers in the palace. Seeing as we're underground, a balcony or window isn't possible."

"It is fine," Egeria assured him. "When I was in hiding from the Goa'uld, I slept in places far worse than this." She sat on the bed and ran a hand over the covers. "I often did not have a bed at all."

"Right. Of course. Well, I'll let you get some sleep. I'll see about having someone bring you some clean clothes in the morning. You may have to wear BDUs until someone can do some shopping for you."

Daniel was almost to the door when Egeria's voice stopped him.

"Wait. Please stay for a while."

Hearing the quiet plea in her voice, Daniel came over and sat beside her on the bed. "What's wrong, Egeria?"

Her eyes searched his face, a hand coming out to touch his cheek. "In my mind, I know that all of this is real, but my heart still fears that it is not. It has ached for so long to see you again. Even after I knew that you must be dead from old age, I still dreamed of you returning someday."

Daniel's throat began to tighten. "Egeria, I'm so sor—"

His apology was cut off by her fingers covering his mouth.

"No, do not apologize, Daniel. I knew from the moment we said goodbye that you would never return. I understood then, and I understand even more now that I know the whole truth. You owe me no apologies. As much as I may have wanted you to stay, you could not have done so. What you do here is far too important." She smiled and took both of his hands in hers. "So tell me about yourself, all the things you could not tell me before."

"Aren't you tired?"

"A little, but I do not wish to sleep yet."

"Um . . . all right. Well, first of all, my full name is Daniel Jackson."

Egeria sounded out the name, deciding that she liked it. "Where were you born?"

"In Egypt."

That surprised Egeria. "Ra's domain?"

"Well, it hasn't been his domain for a very long time."

Egeria nodded. "Yes, of course."

"He's dead now."

Egeria's eyes stared into his intently. "How?"

"We killed him, me and Jack, to be precise, blew him and his ship up in a nuclear explosion."

"Tell me about it," Egeria requested eagerly, delighted that her most hated enemy was dead.

Daniel told Egeria all about the first mission through the Stargate, which, of course, led to him telling her about Sha're, how they met and how he ended up married to her. He could tell that Egeria was amused by the tale. He went on to recount the rest of the events, culminating with his decision to stay on Abydos with his wife.

"How long were you with her on Abydos before she was taken by the Goa'uld?"

"Around a year and four months, Earth time." Daniel hesitated a moment. "It was Apophis who took her. She became the host to his mate, Amaunet."

Egeria's gaze sharpened. "What of Teal'c?"

Daniel's gaze dropped from hers. "He was there. This was before he rebelled."

"But, as First Prime, it would have been his duty to be the one to present women for Apophis and Amaunet's selection."

Daniel gave a low sigh. "Yeah."

"And yet he is now your friend and teammate."

Daniel's gaze drifted across the room. "In the beginning, after I learned his part in Sha're becoming a host, I really wanted to hate him, but I realized that he had no choice. If he had refused to do those things, he'd have been killed, and someone else would have taken his place. Nothing would have been accomplished. I know that he hated the things he was made to do."

Egeria was amazed. She had come to see how very much Daniel had loved his wife, and yet he'd given forgiveness to a man who had a part in her being taken from him.

"Well, it really is getting late," Daniel said.

Egeria nodded, saying nothing. She did not want him to leave. She wanted so badly for him to stay, to be there when she woke up in the morning.

Chastising herself for her weakness, Egeria stood when he did and went with him to the door.

"I'll see you bright and early in the morning," he said with a smile. He was reaching for the doorknob when he found his other hand in Egeria's grasp. And then she was holding him.

"I cannot express the joy inside me over our reunion," she murmured.

Knowing that she really needed this, Daniel pulled her close. She laid her cheek on his shoulder and held on.

As Daniel held her, he felt something stir deep inside him. Almost of its own volition, his hand began to stroke her long, silky hair. He could feel Egeria's warm breath on his skin, and it felt good. Holding her felt good.

Unsettled by what he was feeling, Daniel gently pulled away. He smiled down at her.

"Good night, Egeria. Sweet dreams."

Releasing him, Egeria watched him leave, knowing that her dreams tonight would be very sweet indeed.

* * *

Daniel knocked on Egeria's door, hoping that it wasn't too early. He'd realized after going to bed last night that no one had thought to show her how to use the shower, and he figured that she might want to wash up.

"Who is there?" asked a voice through the door.

"It's Daniel."

"Enter."

The archeologist ran his keycard through the slot and went in. Not seeing Egeria, he looked toward the bathroom just as she came out – wearing nothing but a blouse and panties.

Daniel gasped, his throat suddenly going dry. He couldn't stop his eyes from passing over her body and down to her long, shapely legs.

Flushing and dropping his gaze to the floor, he stammered out, "I-I-I'm sorry. I-I'll, uh, come back after you're . . . you're all dressed."

As he took a step backwards toward the door, he was surprised to hear her laugh. He looked up to see her smiling at him.

"Why does this embarrass you?" she asked. "You have seen far more of my body than this. True, it was not this body, but there were no great differences between it and this one."

Daniel told himself that she was right. It's not like he could really see all that much anyway. There was no need to get all flustered.

With that thought in mind, he focused his gaze resolutely on Egeria's face, keeping his mind off the fact that she was quite clearly not wearing a bra under that blouse.

"Um, I thought you might want to wash," he said, "and I doubt that anyone told you how to use the shower."

"Shower? Is that the small cubicle with the glass door? I saw that it had handles like the sink, but I did not know its purpose."

Daniel moved past her and went into the bathroom. "These rooms don't have bathtubs, just showers." He opened the shower door and turned on the water, adjusting the temperature until it was nice and warm.

Egeria put her hand under the spray and smiled. "It is like warm rain."

"Uh huh. You can make the water hotter or colder by turning the handles." He gave her a quick lesson on how to adjust the temperature. Then he showed her the bottle of shampoo and the bar of soap.

"I'll let you wash up," he said, "and I'll see about getting you some clothes to wear. The towels there are for you to dry off with."

After Daniel had left, Egeria removed the blouse and panties and got into the shower. The feeling of the warm water hitting her body felt quite pleasant, and she just stood there for a few moments. She then began to wash herself. As she ran the soap over her body, she thought about how Daniel had looked at her before he'd dropped his gaze to the floor. She had seen the way his eyes passed over her body, the admiration in their blue depths, and it had filled her with pleasure. She wanted to see desire in those eyes.

Egeria looked down at herself, examining the body in which she now resided. It was taller than Arria's, the hips a little fuller, the breasts a bit larger. She closed her eyes as she imagined these breasts cupped by Daniel's large hands, his fingers gliding over the peaks.

Feeling herself becoming aroused, Egeria pushed that thought out of her mind. Now was not the time for such thoughts. There was work to be done.

Egeria was out of the shower and combing her wet hair with her fingers when there was a knock on the door. Very tempted to greet Daniel with nothing on at all, she resisted the temptation and wrapped a couple of towels around her body. She was disappointed when it turned out to be a female member of the personnel instead of Daniel.

The woman gave her some clothes, along with a comb, brush, blow-dryer, and toothbrush and paste. She showed Egeria how to use the blow-dryer, a device that the Tok'ra queen thought was quite wonderful, then explained the purpose of the toothbrush and paste.

Once the woman had left, Egeria dried and brushed her hair, then got dressed. Though she did not mind the T-shirt and pants, she hated the boots, which felt heavy and clumsy on her feet. She was accustomed to much lighter footwear. She removed them and put on the shoes that she had worn yesterday.

Another knock heralded Daniel's return. He was relieved to see that she was all dressed when he opened the door. He'd had a hard time getting the image of her body out of his mind.

Noticing that she was not wearing the boots, he smiled. "Don't like the boots?"

She frowned. "They are heavy and awkward. How can the other women walk in such things?"

"They get used to it. So, are you ready for some breakfast?"

Egeria loved the pancakes she got, just about drowning them in syrup. She was halfway through the stack when Daniel's teammates came over to the table, trays in hand.

"May we join you?" Sam asked with a smile.

"Sure," Daniel replied.

Once the three people had taken their seats, Egeria began to study them. She knew almost nothing about them, except what she had learned about Teal'c. She wanted to know more, who these people where that were Daniel's friends. She turned to the blonde-haired woman beside her first.

"How did your father come to be Selmak's host?"

"Oh, that's a bit of a story. We'd only just met the Tok'ra at the time. Dad was dying of cancer, and the only hope he had was to become a host. He didn't know anything about the Stargate Program, or the Goa'uld, or anything else, so we had to do a lot of explaining."

Egeria frowned. "Why did he not know those things?"

"Oh, um, that's something I didn't explain," Daniel replied. "You see, the majority of Earth's population doesn't know anything about the Stargate. We've kept it and the knowledge of the Goa'uld and other alien races a secret from them."

"Why?"

It was Sam who answered. "Because we don't think that they're ready to know. You see, up until we figured out what the Stargate was, we had no hard proof that there was intelligent life in the universe besides what was here on Earth. Many people believed that there must be some out there somewhere, but it was all just theories and speculations as to what might be living on other worlds."

Daniel took over. "There is a concern that if Earth's people discovered that there is an evil and powerful race of beings out there whom we are at war with, they wouldn't react well."

"Panicking and rioting is a concern," Jack remarked.

"So, until we think that everyone could handle it, we're keeping it a secret."

Egeria nodded. "I agree that it is wise for you to do so."

As she continued eating, Egeria learned a few things about Daniel's teammates. She was impressed by the intellect of Samantha and recognized in her the same passion for her work that was within Daniel. She was also impressed with Teal'c, whose fire and determination to bring about the end of the Goa'uld was quite easy to see. The grey-haired man named Jack O'Neill was harder to read. She got the impression that he did not fully trust her, though he never said anything untoward.

After the meal was over, Daniel took Egeria to the lab.

"I do not believe that your friend, Jack, trusts me," she remarked on the elevator.

Daniel sighed. "Don't mind him. He's just got an issue about what you used to be."

"A Goa'uld."

"Yeah. Jack is not someone who gives his trust easily. You have to earn it. It's just going to take him a while to get past the Goa'uld thing."

"I understand."

Egeria, Jacob and Doctor Breck had been working for about an hour when Ellan returned with the needed chemicals. Three hours after that, the four of them went to the infirmary.

"We've got it," Jacob announced to Janet.

The doctor looked at the bottle in his hand. "And you're sure that the formula is the same?"

"We had to substitute a couple of the chemicals with Earth equivalents, but, yes, it should work the same."

"So, what is the procedure?"

Egeria explained how the drug should be administered. "You will know when she is ready to be placed within the sarcophagus when you see her skin flush."

Janet gave a nod. "All right. I have to admit that using an untested drug on a child makes me really nervous, but I trust you when you say that this will work."

A while later, Janet, Jacob, Egeria, and three-quarters of SG-1, were in the gate room, along with Patricia, who lay in a deep coma on a gurney. Marcus and Flavia were not there, the two having reluctantly gone back home after the girl was placed in the cryogenic capsule. The other person who was missing was Sam, who'd said that she needed to get something.

She arrived a couple of minutes before the scheduled departure time. She walked up to Egeria and held out to her the items she was carrying.

"These are called sneakers," she said. "They'll be a lot more practical for wearing on the mission than those shoes you have on, but I think you'll find them more comfortable than the boots. You look like you're just about the same shoe size as me, so they should fit okay."

"Thank you, Samantha."

The Tok'ra queen sat on the ramp and put on the socks that Sam had also brought, then the sneakers, getting a quick lesson from the major on how to tie the shoelaces. She then stood and tried the shoes out.

"They are quite comfortable," she said approvingly. "They feel lighter than what I would expect."

Sam nodded. "Those are running shoes, designed especially for jogging."

"Jogging?"

"A form of exercise where you do a lot of running," Daniel explained.

At that moment, the gate began to dial, ending the conversation. Teal'c gently gathered Patricia into his arms. He would be carrying her through the gate.

When they arrived on Egerania, Egeria was quite surprised to discover that the Stargate was inside, and Daniel explained the reason why it was.

As they reached the stop of the stairs and Egeria saw the city, she let out a gasp, her eyes widening. Daniel had told her that it was incredible, even grander than her beloved city on Estrania, but his words had not been enough to prepare her for the sight.

"Oh, it is glorious, Daniel, more beautiful than I could have imagined."

As soon as the guards at the gate saw who had arrived, a message was sent to Marcus. Having been told in advance to do so, they immediately took the group from Earth to the sarcophagus. The Chief Magistrate met them there.

"You have the drug that you said would enable us to use the healing box?" he asked anxiously. He had been told about the drug, but nothing else, so he had no idea who had provided the formula.

Daniel smiled at him. "Yes, we do. Marcus, I'd like you to meet someone." He looked at the black-haired woman beside him. "This is—"

"Ria," Egeria interrupted.

Daniel stared at her in surprise for a moment. Recovering, he said, "She was, um . . . instrumental in creating the drug. We couldn't have done it without her."

Marcus took one of Egeria's hands in both of his. "Thank you. I cannot express my gratitude."

Patricia was laid on the top of the sarcophagus, and Janet injected the drug. They all waited for it to take effect. When the girl's whole body appeared flushed with fever, Egeria said that it was time. The child was placed within the sarcophagus. Several minutes passed before the healing was complete. As soon as it was, Janet gave the girl a fast-acting sedative, then the heavy-duty painkiller that she hoped would enable Patricia to withstand the pain caused by the drug.

"The sedative will keep her out for a couple of hours," the doctor explained. "Let's get her home and to bed."

Carriages quickly took everyone to Marcus' home. Patricia's parents and grandmother were anxiously waiting outside as they pulled up. At Egeria's instruction, a bed was made up for the child on one of the balconies that was in the sun. Janet and Patricia's parents remained there as the others went back downstairs to await the girl's awakening.

Daniel pulled Egeria aside.

"Why didn't you want me to tell Marcus who you are?" he asked.

"Because I do not wish for these people to know. You told me that they chose to honor me by refusing to have a king or queen rule them, but I am their queen no longer."

"You're afraid that, if they find out who you are, they'll want you to take the throne."

Egeria nodded. "It is better for them to be unaware of my true identity."

Patricia awakened at right around the time Janet had anticipated. Her parents and grandparents gathered around her.

"Mama?" the child said.

Flavia grasped her hand. "I am here, my darling."

"Mama, it hurts."

Janet immediately stepped forward. "Where does it hurt, Patricia?"

"All over. It burns." The child began to whimper. "It burns."

"It is the pain of the drug," Egeria said with a sigh.

Janet frowned. "I gave her a high dose of pain medication. The pain must be excruciating if she's still feeling it that much."

Egeria nodded. "It was only because of my natural abilities to deaden pain that I was able to withstand it when I used the drug."

"Can you give her more pain meds?" Jack asked, really hating to see the little girl suffering.

"She's almost on the maximum dosage now, Colonel," Janet replied. "I don't think that the little more I could give her would make much of a difference." She shook her head, watching as Patricia began to cry from the pain. "We may have no choice but to keep her sedated until the drug's side effects fade." She looked at Egeria. "How long can we expect that to be?"

"Several days, I am afraid."

"Maybe we should take her back to Earth," Sam suggested.

"That would be fine for her, but what about all the other kids we're going to do this for?" Daniel asked. "We can't take them all."

"You're right," Janet said. She injected Patricia with another dose of sedative. After a few minutes, the girl's whimpering ceased as she slipped into sleep.

"So, how are we going to do this?" Jacob asked. "Not only are we going to have to sedate all the kids, we're also going to have to make sure they get enough sunlight."

Janet turned to Marcus. "Do you have a stadium? Some kind of outdoor arena?"

"Yes, there is the arena where the games are played."

"I hope it's big enough to hold all the children we'll be putting there, if this turns out to work."

Jack looked down at the sleeping child. "So, now we have to wait to make sure that she won't have withdrawal symptoms?"

Janet gave a nod. "Judging by what happened with the other children, we'll know for sure by tomorrow morning. In the meantime, we can start making preparations. We need to move the sarcophagus to the arena. Then we're going to have to set up a triage area for the kids that will be coming in. I'll need some of my staff here. As each child is treated, we'll sedate them and hook them up to an IV to keep them under. I really don't like the idea of keeping them sedated for so long, but there's nothing else we can do. I need to contact the base. I'm guessing that we're going to need a whole lot of sedatives."

"And a whole lot of that drug," Jacob added.


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE

Much to everyone's relief, Patricia showed no signs of sarcophagus addiction withdrawal the next morning, which left the way open for them to start treating other kids. A sample of blood taken from her and sent to the SGC infirmary for analysis had also confirmed that the disease that was killing her had been eradicated.

The job of treating the other sick kids began later that morning. Hours later, the true scope of the crisis was impacting upon the people from Earth with numbing force. As word was spread throughout the city and surrounding countryside that a cure had been found for the disease, people started bringing in their ill children. They trickled in at first, a few here and there, but as time passed, the trickle became a flood. Soon, it was overwhelming, hundreds upon hundreds of dying children lined up to be placed within the sarcophagus. Three-quarters of Janet's staff had been brought through the gate, along with most of the medics, but it still wasn't enough. Many of the city's physicians were brought in to help as well.

The toughest part was rating the severity of each child's illness, the most desperately ill being placed at the head of the line. For some, it was too late to save them, and the air was filled with the sound of weeping parents. Though the sarcophagus would have been able to revive the dead children, the drug that would keep them from becoming addicted wouldn't work on a dead body, so they would be revived only to face death again. The only hope left for the dead children was that the microorganisms infecting their bodies would die before it was too late to revive them. The sarcophagus could then be used without the drug.

When Egeria said that the sarcophagus could heal two children at once, they began putting two in it at a time, which helped a lot, but the task was still monumental, both physically and emotionally draining everyone there. Daniel could see the effect it was having on all his teammates, especially Jack, whose eyes were dark with pain, that pain growing sharper with each death. The archeologist could only imagine how much this was making his friend think about Charlie.

Back at the SGC, they were still busy getting their hands on every drop of sedative that they could find, along with the IV tubes, needles, and everything else that was needed. Jacob had returned to Earth the day before to help Ellan and Doctor Breck make more of the drug.

Taking a short break, Daniel went in search of Egeria. He found her standing off by herself. When she turned to him, he saw that she was crying.

"It hurts me so much to see this," she said. "These are the children of my people, the people I tried so hard to protect."

"Hey. This isn't your fault, Egeria. You couldn't have known that this was going to happen."

Egeria nodded. "I know, but it still grieves me. I think of all the children who have died over these centuries, all the parents who lost their little ones."

Daniel pulled her into a hug. "I know. But they're getting help now, thanks to you."

Egeria looked up at him. "Daniel, the sarcophagus was not designed to be used this often in so short a time."

Daniel frowned. "You're afraid that it will fail?"

"It will eventually. Is there another that we can procure?"

"I doubt it. The Goa'uld guard their sarcophagi pretty jealously." Daniel released her. "Come on. We need to talk to the others about this."

They found the rest of Daniel's teammates. Judging by the redness in Sam's eyes, she'd been doing some crying, too. The potential problem with the sarcophagus was explained to them.

"If it goes out, can you fix it?" Jack asked Egeria and Sam.

"Perhaps," the Tok'ra queen replied, "but it would take time, time that these children do not have."

At that moment, a voice came over the radios of SG-1. "SG-1, this is Stargate Command."

"Colonel O'Neill here," Jack responded.

"Colonel, we have good news," said General Hammond. "You've got some help on the way."

Before anyone could even ask what he meant, someone abruptly appeared a couple of yards away.

Egeria gasped loudly. "An Asgard!"

"Greetings," Thor said.

"Thor, buddy!" Jack said with a grin, having just informed Hammond that the help had arrived. "It's great to see you. But it sure did take you long enough to answer our call."

"My apologies, O'Neill. Though the human-form Replicators are still trapped within the time dilation field on Hala, there are still other Replicators against which we are continuing to do battle. Much of our time is also being spent in preparing our new homeworld for habitation. Many of our people presently exist as stored minds that are waiting to be placed in newly cloned bodies."

"Wow. Sounds like you guys have your hands full. We wouldn't have bothered you, but we've got a real crisis here."

"Yes, General Hammond has told me about the illness that is killing this planet's children."

"Can you be of assistance?" Teal'c asked.

"I must first analyze the disease before I can answer that question. Can you provide me with blood and tissue samples from an infected person?"

Jack looked out at the virtual sea of sick children. "That's not going to be a problem."

"I will also need samples from someone who is not ill."

Thor was given several samples, and he took them back to his ship.

Egeria's gaze went to Daniel and his teammates. "You are allies with the Asgard?"

"Oh, yeah," Jack replied. "The best of friends."

"Earth is an Asgard-protected planet, Egeria," Daniel explained. "Which is probably the only thing that's saved us from being destroyed."

Egeria shook her head. "There is so much for you to tell me."

Jack smiled. "Well, now that Thor's here to help, we'll probably be able to get out of here in no time. Then we can tell you all about how the Asgard became our best buddies."

It was twenty minutes later that Thor returned. By that time, Janet had joined them to await the prognosis.

"I have analyzed the pathogen," the Asgard told them. "It is similar to one that we have encountered previously. The original form was engineered to kill Goa'uld."

That shocked everyone.

"By whom?" Teal'c asked.

"A race of beings called the Maisu. They were ultimately eradicated by the Goa'uld. In their attempts to destroy the Goa'uld, they created a microorganism that would infect the symbiote but would show no symptoms until the Goa'uld used the sarcophagus. The microorganisms would absorb the unique energy of the sarcophagus and convert it to a form that was poisonous. The Maisu infected many Goa'uld-controlled worlds with the pathogen, picking ones that were favored most for harvesting hosts. Unfortunately, it soon mutated into a form that was fatal to humans, resulting in the death of over ten million people."

"Well, that sure didn't work out like they planned, did it," Jack remarked.

"No."

"If the microorganisms were in the hosts, how would they get into the symbiotes?" Sam asked.

"They infected the host's brain tissue, then passed into the symbiote through the ganglia that connected the symbiote to the brain."

Jack started to get nervous. "Uhhh. This disease isn't contagious, is it?"

"Not in its present form. From my analysis, I have determined that it is transmitted from mother to offspring in the uterus. It then remains dormant until certain conditions cause the pathogen to begin multiplying."

"Do you have a cure?" Janet asked.

"Yes. The microorganisms are extremely susceptible to a specific form of radiation. My ship is presently irradiating this entire area. The effects should become noticeable within one of your hours."

"I'm assuming that this radiation isn't harmful to people, or animals, or anything else that we wouldn't want to kill," Jack said.

"Not at these levels."

"Okay, there's something that doesn't make sense," Sam said. "This planet was never used by the Goa'uld. So, why did the Maisu infect it?"

"They would not have done so," Thor responded. "There must be another explanation."

"Well, we don't know the whole history of this planet," Daniel said. "It's quite possible that it was temporarily colonized by people who were infected, perhaps carriers of the disease. They died off or left, but the disease remained."

"Sitting dormant all this time until one of Estrania's people came in contact with an infected item and contracted it," Sam added.

Daniel nodded. "It could be that if we asked Marcus, he'd say that archeological evidence was found of humans living here in the past." He turned to Thor. "So, what about future generations? Will the radiation stop this disease from ever show up again?"

"Yes. The radiation will kill the pathogen even in its dormant state. Once the disease has been eradicated in the people who are alive now, it will no longer be passed on to future generations."

"This is excellent news," Teal'c said, relief showing on his normally impassive face.

"You bet it is," Jack agreed. "Thor, you are my hero."

"Thank you, O'Neill."

"This explains why the kids had such a negative reaction to the sarcophagus," Janet said. "Apparently, even in its present mutated form, it still reacts to the energy of a sarcophagus. We're actually very lucky that the drug worked since what was happening to the kids wasn't really the same thing as withdrawal."

"What is this drug of which you speak?" Thor asked.

He was told about the drug and what its side effects were.

"We have over two hundred children who are now under sedation to prevent them from feeling the pain of the drug," Sam told him. "It would be great if you could do something about that as well."

"The Asgard have never heard of a drug that prevents the negative effects of a sarcophagus," the Asgard stated. "From where did you get this drug?"

Everyone's gaze went to Egeria. Daniel introduced her to the Asgard.

"Egeria is the name of the Goa'uld who bred the Tok'ra," Thor said.

"Yes, this is her," Sam responded.

"But we had understood that Egeria was killed by Ra two thousand years ago."

"Yeah, everybody was wrong about that," Daniel told him. "It's a long story, one that we can tell you later." He suddenly thought of something. "What about the kids who died before we could get them into the sarcophagus? The radiation would kill the microorganisms inside them, too, wouldn't it?"

"Yes," Thor confirmed.

"Then we can save them!" Sam cried. "We're still within the period of time that the sarcophagus will revive them." She looked at Thor. "How long will we have to wait until the microorganisms are dead?"

"The radiation would have begun to kill them immediately. It should be safe to use the sarcophagus in another ten of your minutes."

Thor was given a sample of the drug, along with blood and tissue samples from one of the children who had been injected with it. He beamed back aboard his ship to analyze them as well as to begin the process of killing the pathogen everywhere else that it was infecting the planet.

As soon as the Asgard was gone, SG-1, Jacob, Janet and Egeria went to where the bodies of the dead children had been placed. Many of the family members had wanted to take their dead children home, and it had been quite difficult to convince them that all hope was not yet lost. Janet and SG-1 would now be able to tell those families that their little ones would be returning to them.

The minutes that followed were ones of great joy for the families of the children who had died, most of whom broke down and sobbed tears of happiness as their kids were brought to them alive and well.

As promised, within an hour, everyone began to see the results of the radiation treatment in the live children as their condition started displaying marked improvement. Thor returned shortly after that with both good news and bad news.

"Because of its nature, I cannot safely cleanse the drug from the bodies of the children," he said. "However, I can provide a medication that will temporarily block the ability to feel pain so that the children will be unable to feel the drug's effects. They will need to be injected with it once each day."

Relieved that the kids wouldn't have to be kept sedated, Janet told the Asgard to make the medication.

By the time he returned again, SG-1, Egeria and the others were watching the last of the kids who'd been cured of the disease by the radiation leave with their parents, well on the road to recovery. The sun was going down, and preparations were being made to move the children who'd been given the sarcophagus drug inside for the night.

Once all the kids were indoors, they were given the medication created by Thor, and sedation was ceased. SG-1 and the others finally stopped to eat and rest for a while. What they really wanted to do was go home and to bed, but, though over half of the medical personnel had been sent back through the gate, it had been agreed that the rest should stay to monitor the children through the night.

That evening, SG-1 and Egeria went to Marcus' house, the man having insisted that they be his guests for the night. He'd wanted Janet to stay there as well, but she decided that she'd feel more at ease if she remained near her patients.

Daniel was heading toward the library to join Egeria and his teammates when he saw Marcus. The man spotted him at the same time and came over.

"Daniel. There is something I have been meaning to show you. Please come with me."

The archeologist followed the magistrate to a little room. On a pedestal at the center of the room was something that Daniel instantly recognized. Marcus walked up to the statue.

"Fate can sometimes work in strange and unexpected ways," he said.

"How so?"

"To you, this statue was a source of embarrassment. To Egeria, it was something that had great meaning to her. To my family, it was something that dramatically altered the course of our future."

"How's that?"

"As I am sure you know, Titus was born a slave. He was given his freedom along with the other members of his family when Egeria freed all her slaves, yet the fact remained that he was not born a freeman. Though he was ultimately elevated to a high position in Egeria's palace, there were still some who looked upon him and saw a slave."

Daniel frowned. "How do you know this?"

"It is in Titus' memoir." Marcus smiled. "You are in it as well. He thought very highly of you." The smile changed to one of pride. "After Egeria gave the statue to Titus, the position of him and his family changed in the eyes of many. Egeria herself, our god and queen, had entrusted the family of Aurelius with the duty of keeping safe an item that had great meaning to her. If she did that, then, surely, it must mean that the family of Aurelius had gained great favor in her eyes. When the people of our new world were setting up their government, some wanted Titus to be one of our magistrates, but he refused. He said that he was a scholar and had no interest in politics. Years later, one of his grandsons gained that position."

Daniel smiled. "One of Titus' grandsons became a magistrate?"

"He did indeed, and he was only the first of my family to do so. In almost every generation since then, a member of the House of Aurelius has been a magistrate or held some other position in our government. There have been sixteen chief magistrates who bore our name."

Daniel stared at the statue, amazed by how something that he had looked upon as a source of embarrassment had ended up affecting the lives of so many people.

"There is something you might be interested to know," he said. "Rome, the civilization that your ancestors came from, grew into the greatest world power of its time. It remained so for many centuries, becoming a huge empire that spanned a large portion of the known world." Daniel smiled. "The name of one of its emperors was Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus."

Marcus' eyes widened. "Marcus Aurelius?"

Daniel nodded. "He became known to history as the last of the five good emperors. He was also one of the most important Stoic philosophers."

"Marcus has been a name used by my family for many, many generations. It was the name of my great-grandfather."

"It may be that you and that other Marcus have a common ancestor."

The chief magistrate laughed. "How amazing. Thank you for telling me. This will be something for _my_ memoir."

Saying good night to the man, Daniel went on to the library.

"Where have you been?" Jack asked.

"Just talking with Marcus."

"Ah. Well, _we_ were talking about Thor. We were telling Egeria how we met him and the other Asgard."

"Yes, speaking of Thor, he has been told that we need something else from him, hasn't he?"

"Yep, though we didn't tell him what. We figured that the explanations could wait. Once he gets through here, then takes care of some other stuff, he'll be going back to Earth. He said that it shouldn't be more than a few days."

"It is a wonder that you and the Asgard are such close allies," Egeria said.

"Yeah, if it wasn't for the Asgard, none of us would still be alive," Daniel told her.

"They named a ship after me," Jack announced proudly.

"Which was blown up on its maiden voyage."

Jack glared at Daniel. "Did ya really have to mention that part?"

"Sorry."

Jack's mouth suddenly quirked upward. "Hey, Egeria. There's something here that I bet you'd just _love_ to read."

Now, it was Daniel who was glaring. "Jack, don't you dare!"

Totally ignoring him, Jack went and got the book about SG-1's archeologist. Egeria's reaction, however, was not what he expected.

"Ah, yes," she said with a smile. "Titus' tales of Daniel's adventures."

"You knew about them?" both Daniel and Jack exclaimed.

"Of course. Titus showed them to me once they were complete. I very much enjoyed reading them."

"But they're all wrong!" Daniel complained. "Why didn't you have him correct them?"

Egeria's eyes sparkled with amusement. "Only a few things are incorrect, Daniel. I saw no harm in letting the stories remain as they were. Titus was so very proud of them."

"Did any of the Tok'ra ever read them?" Sam asked.

Egeria shook her head. "I told Titus that it would be best if he shared the stories only with his family, that is until the day I said goodbye to him. I then told him that he could share them with others."

"When you gave him the statue of Daniel," Jack said.

Surprised, Egeria looked at him. "You know of that?"

Jack's grin was back. "Oh, you bet we know. Actually, if it wasn't for that statue, our first meeting with these people probably wouldn't have gone so well. One of the guards at the Stargate recognized that Daniel's face was the same as that on the statue and thought he was a god. You know, I bet that statue's somewhere right in this house, seeing as Marcus' family has been its caretakers for some two thousand years."

_'Yes, it is, Jack,'_ Daniel answered in his head, _'and there is no way that I'm telling you where.'_

Egeria smiled again. "I am pleased that Titus' descendants kept the promise that he made to me to keep the statue safe."

"Yep, Titus apparently did a bang up job of telling everyone all about our Danny Boy here. The whole planet probably knows about him. He's become a legend, a _living_ legend now."

The archeologist subjected the colonel to another glare. Jack was having entirely too much fun with this.

Jack tapped the book. "So, how about if you read those out loud to those of us who can't read Goa'uld?"

"Jack, I told you that I didn't want them read aloud," Daniel said in a tone of warning. "That means by _no_ one."

Egeria handed the book back to the grey-haired man. "If Daniel does not wish for them to be read aloud, then I must abide by his wishes."

"Damn," Jack responded with a sigh. "Well, it was worth a try."

Deciding that going for a walk so that he didn't throttle Jack would be an excellent idea, Daniel asked Egeria if she'd like to accompany him. She jumped at the chance.

In the cool night air, they strolled through the city. The buildings all glowed softly under the light of the moon and the street lamps.

Egeria let out a happy sigh. "It is so beautiful. When I sent my people through to this world, I worried about what their fate would be without my protection. I hoped that they would do well, that they would thrive and grow, create a civilization that would span the length and breadth of the planet."

"They probably will eventually. The losses due to the plague slowed that down a lot, but, someday, they'll expand to other continents. They have ships and have explored some of the other landmasses. A few islands off the coast are inhabited. Now that the disease will no longer be a problem, their population will grow even faster. I'd love to see what this world will be like in a couple hundred years."

Egeria glanced at him. "That would be quite possible if you were still ascended, would it not?"

Daniel's gaze fell to the road upon which they were walking. "If you're asking if I wish I was still ascended, then the answer is no. I remember almost nothing from that year, but I remember enough to know that I was all but powerless to do much of anything to help."

"You said that the Ascended have rules that forbid them to interfere in the lives of other life forms. They would not let you help others at all?"

"From what I understand, I managed to get away with a few little things, mostly because I was sneaky about it." Daniel looked at her. "I wanted to help you ascend."

Egeria was surprised. "You did?"

"Yeah. You were dying, and I wanted to save you, but the others wouldn't let me. I was so angry afterwards. It really hurt to just stand there and watch you die when I had the power to save you."

Egeria stopped and pulled him into a hug. "But you _did_ save me, my Daniel," she murmured. "I am here, alive, because of you."

Daniel closed his eyes and held her tight. The feeling that had stirred inside him as he held her last night returned, stronger now, stronger and deeper. That feeling scared him. He couldn't let himself feel things like that, not for someone he'd have to say goodbye to soon.

The approach of two people coming down the street made them separate. They resumed walking. After a while, Egeria slipped her hand into Daniel's. He smiled down at her and gave the hand a squeeze.

Egeria's thoughts went to the day that she and Daniel took their walk through her city and the dinner they shared afterwards. That had been a wonderful day. She could not say the same for this day since much of it had been marred by such great tragedy, but this evening, being here now with Daniel, would be added to her happy memories.

But how many more happy memories would there be? Once her symbiote body had been cloned, her consciousness would be transferred into it. She would likely then be blended with a host. She would be expected to rejoin her children and resume her role as their queen and mother.

Egeria glanced at the man walking beside her. As an unblended human, Daniel could have no part in that life. She could no longer hide from that fact, pretend it was not so. The only time she would ever see him was on the occasions that he and his team came to the Tok'ra base or she visited Earth.

Feeling sorrow begin to take hold, Egeria pushed those thoughts from her mind. She was here with him now. That is the thing upon which she needed to concentrate.

The next morning, as they walked to the building where the children who had been treated with the sarcophagus spent the night, Jack grabbed Daniel's arm and slowed their pace so that they dropped behind the others a few yards.

"So, how late were you and Egeria out on your little stroll?" the colonel asked.

"I don't know. I don't have my watch set to the time on this planet. Late, I guess." Daniel frowned at the older man. "Do you have a problem with that?"

"No, no problem. I just think you need to keep in mind what she is."

Daniel's frown deepened. "And what is that, Jack?"

"A woman who used to be a Tok'ra snake and, in a few days, is gonna be one again."

The archeologist glared at him. "Jack, I am really getting sick of your attitude about Egeria."

"Hey, I didn't mean it like that," Jack quickly said, seeing that Daniel was getting angry. "What she did to save these kids makes her an okay lady in my books. But the fact remains that she'll be a symbiote again soon. Once she is, how long will she live? A couple thousand years or so? Unless you've figured out a way to ascend again, you can see how this is gonna end."

Daniel stared down at the ground. "I know that, Jack. Egeria and I are just friends."

"Are you? Don't tell me that you haven't noticed the way she looks at you. She's still in love with you."

Daniel sighed softly. "I know."

"And?"

The archeologist looked at him. "And what?"

"I've noticed that you've been spending quite a bit of time with her, and then there's the fact that you arranged for her to stay in the room across from yours."

"I did that so that, if she needed to talk, I'd be nearby. I was being a friend, Jack."

"Yes, a friend. I just hope that's all she is to you, Daniel."

The archeologist didn't reply for several seconds. "Jack, I know that, once she's in her cloned symbiote body, we'll have to say goodbye again. I am well aware of that. Therefore, I would like to spend as much time with her as I can while I have the chance. Can you understand that?"

Jack sighed silently. "Yes, Daniel, I can understand that."

As he watched Daniel increased his pace and caught up to the others, Jack hoped that his best friend wasn't going to end up getting his heart broken yet again.

* * *

Once they were certain that the Egeranian doctors would be able to handle the care of the children who had been healed with the sarcophagus, the group from Earth bid everyone goodbye and headed for the Stargate.

"They understand that the kids still need to get sunlight every day, right?" Daniel asked Janet.

"Yes, they are aware of that."

"I shouldn't think that would be a problem anyway," Jack remarked. "It's summer, they're kids, and they don't have TV, Xboxes or computers. Enough said."

"They will have to be careful, though," Janet said. "As long as they are taking that medication Thor gave us, they will be unable to feel any pain at all. If they receive an injury, they won't even feel it. That could pose a risk."

"Did you explain that to the parents?" Daniel asked.

The doctor nodded. "They'll be watching the children closely."

Sam glanced at her C.O. "What about the UAV? Are we still going to send one out to see what's over that ridge?"

"That's been put on hold," he replied. "Hammond figured that it could wait until things have settled back down." He glanced at Egeria. "We've sort of got more pressing matters to deal with right now."

Daniel had noticed the glance. It reminded him about what would be happening once they returned to Earth. There were a whole lot of people who wanted to talk to Egeria. Actually, "pick her brains" would probably be a more accurate description. He was going to have to make sure that they didn't push her too hard.

SG-1, Janet and Egeria were joined in the debriefing by Jacob and Ellan.

"So, this disease isn't going to be a problem anymore?" Hammond asked, wanting to confirm what he'd already been told during SG-1's check-in.

"Nope," Jack answered. "All the kids on the planet will be cured, and no more will be born with it."

"Excellent. This has been a successful mission all around, then."

"So, are we going to destroy the time machine now?"

Egeria looked at Jack in surprise. "You are going to destroy it? Why?"

"That was the deal. We use it to get you back, then we destroy it."

"We're worried that the Goa'uld will find out about it," Daniel explained. "You see, up until a couple of weeks ago, Selmak and I were the only ones who knew it existed. I didn't tell anyone here, and Selmak kept it a secret from the other Tok'ra."

Jacob took over the explanation. "We were afraid that if the wrong people found out about it, they'd try to get their hands on it and use it for their own purposes. Now, however, it is no longer a secret, so the only safe course of action is to destroy it."

"Why do you not simply have the Asgard take it?" Egeria asked. "I would think that it would be safe in their hands."

"Well, we could," Sam replied, "but, unless they set it up in a permanent location, it would be of little use to us." She explained how the device worked.

"We should tell them about it anyway," Daniel said. "They might want to study the technology."

Hammond nodded. "We'll hold off on destroying it until we've talked to Thor. For the present time, we do not have to worry about the device being used since it has been disabled again."

Ellan spoke. "General Hammond, the High Council would like Egeria to come to the Tok'ra base so that they can welcome her."

"Of course. Would this afternoon work? We have some people from our government and military coming to speak with her tomorrow morning."

Egeria frowned in puzzlement. "For what purpose?"

"I haven't told her everything yet, General," Daniel said.

"Well, then I'd say that you should get that done, Doctor Jackson."


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

Daniel took Egeria to his office.

"Why are people from your military and government coming to speak with me?" she asked.

"Well, you see, when I came up with the idea for going back in time to copy your consciousness, General Hammond pointed out some big concerns that the people in charge would likely have. He suspected that they wouldn't allow us to go on the mission. So I brought up the fact that, as a former Goa'uld queen, you would have a lot of valuable knowledge that could help us in our fight against the Goa'uld. That's what those people are coming to talk to you about. I know that I shouldn't have assumed that you'd be willing to give us that knowledge, but . . . well, I was getting pretty desperate to get them to agree to the mission."

"I will be happy to give you any knowledge I have that can help in your fight against the Goa'uld, Daniel. You need only ask."

Daniel smiled, not surprised by her answer. "Thank you. I'm guessing that most of the questions you'll be asked tomorrow will be on what you know about Goa'uld technology and if you can give us instructions on how to make any of it."

"But have you not already received knowledge about their technology from the Tok'ra? I passed on a great deal of that knowledge to them."

"Ummm . . . well, you see, the Tok'ra don't really share stuff like that with us."

A frown knit Egeria's brow. "Why not?"

"Because they think we're not advanced enough or responsible enough to be given that kind of technology. It's a . . . common theme among the advanced races we've met."

"But do you not already have some forms of advanced technology? I have heard that you created spacecraft using Goa'uld technology, as well as several other items, like the Naquadah generators in which Samantha takes great pride."

"Yeah, but that was stuff that we managed to do ourselves with things that we got our hands on. It's not the same thing as them handing us the plans for some Goa'uld weapon that they think we might turn around and use on each other."

Egeria looked at him closely. "And do they have good reason for their concerns?"

"I wish I could say that something like that would never happen, but I can't. We are not a peaceful planet, Egeria. We're made up of a lot of different countries, races and religions that don't all get along with each other. Now, so far, with the exception of a certain group of people, the program has done a really good job of keeping advanced technology out of the hands of people who'd use it for . . . nefarious purposes. Actually, out of the hundreds of countries on Earth, only five know about all this, so most of the individuals who would use that technology against others here on Earth don't even know it exists. That's another reason why we've kept the program a secret."

"But would not having more advanced technology allow you to more effectively fight against the Goa'uld?"

"Oh, there's no doubt of that. It would probably also save a lot of lives."

Egeria nodded sharply. "Then I will see that you get it, or at least as much as is within my power."

"The truth is that the weapons aren't what interest me. I mean, I know we need them, but I'm not eager to get hold of them like the military and government are."

Egeria smiled slightly. "And what is it that _does_ interest you?" she asked, suspecting that she already knew the answer.

"The knowledge of other civilizations and cultures, the other species that exist out there in the galaxy, all the history that must be in your memory. We have visited only a relative handful of planets since we started going through the gate and have encountered just a few different species. There is so much more out there for use to discover."

Egeria's smile softened. "That is what you would like to do, if you could, explore the galaxy in the pursuit of knowledge."

Daniel sighed. "Yeah. If I'm still alive when this war ends, I would like to see us use the Stargate for exploration, to just go out there and see what's there. Unfortunately, even if we defeat the Goa'uld, exploration alone won't pay the bills around here. This program costs a lot of money to run, and the government needs to have a return on their investment, and that means continuing to search for more technology and other things of practical value."

Egeria laid her hand on his arm. "Do not worry, Daniel. I will see that your government gets a . . . return on their investment. And I will also tell you all about the many civilizations and people that the Goa'uld have encountered in their travels. Sadly, many of them most likely no longer exist. Many died out or were destroyed even before the day you and I met. I am ashamed to say that my species was responsible for the destruction of more than one."

Not wishing to dwell on the atrocities her species had committed, Egeria smiled. "We have a few hours before I travel to the Tok'ra base. There are still a great many things I wish to know about you and your people."

"Um . . . okay. How about if we go up to the mountaintop. We won't be disturbed up there."

Daniel took her to the top of Cheyenne Mountain and to a spot where she could look down at the city of Colorado Springs and the surrounding countryside.

"I wish that I could see your world," she said. "It must have changed so much since I was here."

"Oh, yeah. Among other things, we have a whole lot more people. From what we've seen so far, Earth is the most densely populated human-inhabited planet in the galaxy, which makes sense since it's where our race began."

"How long has it been since the Goa'uld left?"

"We don't know exactly. We do know that people were still being taken up to around eight hundred years ago. We believe that the Goa'uld abandoned Earth after the Stargate they were using became inaccessible because of the ice. A few were left behind, though: Setesh, Osiris, Isis and, um . . . Hathor."

Egeria's expression darkened. "Hathor. I hope that you can tell me that she is now dead."

"Yes, she's dead. So are all the others I mentioned . . . except for Osiris."

Egeria saw the expression of sorrow that flashed across Daniel's face. "What is wrong?"

The archeologist told her about what happened with Sarah. She took his hand in a gesture of comfort.

"I am sorry, Daniel. She meant a great deal to you."

"Yeah. We were friends, _more_ than friends at one time."

Egeria brushed her fingers through his hair. "You have lost so much at the hands of the Goa'uld."

"A lot of people have."

Wanting to depart from the sad topic, Daniel moved on to other things. In the end, he came close to telling Egeria his whole life story. The Tok'ra queen listened to it all eagerly, smiling at the happy things, saddened by the sorrows and hardships. Finding out about the death of his parents, his years in foster care, and his estrangement from his only living relative gave her a better understand of why he became the man that he was. She wished that he'd had the full and happy childhood that he pretended he had when he knew her in the past.

Egeria also found out more about what Daniel and his people had accomplished since they began traveling through the Stargate.

"The fact is that what I told you before about our fight against the Goa'uld wasn't entirely truthful," Daniel said. "Most of the time, we are definitely _not_ working in secret, and our pace has been anything but slow and easy. It's been only eight years since we killed Ra and, since then, we've added somewhere around a dozen more to the list. Earth would be a smoking ruin by now if it wasn't for luck and the fact that we are now covered by the Protected Planets Treaty. Even with the protected planet status, Anubis has tried to destroy Earth twice, and it's probably only a matter of time before he tries again."

Wanting to know more, Egeria began asking question about specific things they had done, things they had accomplished, the Goa'uld they had a part in killing. The more Daniel told her, the more impressed she became. Within the span of just a few years, they had become a formidable enemy of the Goa'uld. And, though Daniel sought to downplay his own contributions, Egeria was not fooled. It was quite clear to her that he played a vital role in many of their successes.

It was lunchtime by the time they went back inside. After eating, they went to Daniel's office, which was where Jacob and Ellan found them a few minutes later.

"Your people await you, Egeria," the Tok'ra scientist said with a smile.

Egeria got to her feet. "I would like Daniel to accompany us."

A slight frown flickered across the man's face. "May I ask why?"

"That will become clear in time."

Ellan nodded his head slightly. "Very well."

Realizing that he really needed to talk to Egeria and Jacob about something first, Daniel asked if Ellan could excuse them for a few minutes. As soon as the scientist was gone, he turned to the other two.

"Okay, I know that the Tok'ra are going to have to be told about me going back in time and all that stuff," he said, "but I would really, really appreciate it if you wouldn't tell them the part about my DNA being used. I cannot tell you how much I don't want that to become common knowledge."

"Why do you not wish them to know?" Egeria asked in puzzlement.

Jacob was smiling. "I think it probably has something to do with the method of . . . procurement. It is rather a private matter, you know."

Suddenly, Egeria understood. Even if the Tok'ra were not told all the details behind how she obtained Daniel's code of life, it was still a very intimate subject.

"I understand," she said. "I will say nothing about it, although I would very much like for those who were created with your DNA to know."

"There aren't very many left, I'm afraid," Jacob told her, "just a handful now. Many died a long time ago, and we lost several more over the past few years, including Per'sus, who was our High Councillor."

Egeria was saddened to hear that so few of the children who bore Daniel's DNA still lived. She looked at the man she still loved, hoping that he would consent to giving the code again so that the new children to whom she gave birth would carry a part of him within them. He would not have to mate with her to do so. She had learned how to artificially inject the seed of a human male into her host's body long ago and had used that method ever since then. Daniel had been the last man with whom she ever made love, and it would forever remain so.

A while later, Daniel, Egeria and the two Tok'ra were in the gate room as the Stargate was dialed. When Daniel's teammates learned that he was going to the base, they asked if he wanted them to come along, but he told them no. Actually, the only one among them that he really didn't want to be there was Jack. The man already had too much ammunition for tormenting Daniel. He didn't want to take the chance that the colonel would get even more.

When they existed the Stargate on the planet with the Tok'ra base, they were greeted by two members of the High Council, Delek and Ka'resh. The council members both bowed their heads deeply.

"Egeria," Ka'resh murmured in a tone of reverence, her gaze still lowered. "I cannot tell you how honored and overjoyed we are to have you with us again. This is a great day for all Tok'ra." She lifted her eyes to her queen. "We look forward to when we can tell all your children of your return."

Egeria frowned. "They do not all know?"

Selmak explained. "It was decided that, until the time device has been destroyed, only the High Council and a few others would be told so that there would be less of a chance for the Goa'uld to learn of its existence."

They walked to the tunnels. Egeria looked about as the four Tok'ra explained how the tunnels were formed.

When they entered the High Council meeting chamber, every person sitting at the table rose to their feet and bowed. Egeria was introduced to each one, both the symbiote and the host. She personally knew only a few, the rest being children she spawned later, when the only time she had a chance to get to know them was during the years she trained them before they were placed in hosts. She gave an especially warm greeting to Aranae, the only other one there besides Selmak whose genes possessed Daniel's DNA. Aranae returned the greeting with tears of joy in her hazel eyes.

Just then, another Tok'ra came in. He came up to Egeria, his gaze fastened upon her unwaveringly. There was a great deal of emotion on his face, his eyes full of both happiness and sorrow.

"Egeria, this is Malek," Selmak said. "He is not a member of the council, but we felt that he had the right to know about you."

"Malek, why do you gaze at me so?" Egeria asked.

"He was at the side of your other self when she died," Selmak quietly explained. "He worked with her to solve the problem with the Tretonin."

"I have no words to express how happy I am that you live," Malek said. "Watching you die was the saddest moment of my life."

Egeria took his hands in hers. "Do not think of it. I am here; I am alive, thanks to this man who stands beside me, as well as his teammates."

Malek's gaze went to Daniel. "The Tok'ra owe you a great debt of gratitude, Doctor Jackson."

"More than you know, Malek," Egeria murmured.

Before Malek could ask her what she meant, she and the others were called over to sit at the table.

Ka'resh spoke to Daniel. "Doctor Jackson, as honored as we are to have you here, some of the things about which we wish to speak are private matters. We hope you understand."

Egeria frowned. "I would like him to remain."

"It's okay, Egeria," Daniel quickly said. "I'll just go wander around."

The Tok'ra queen hesitated, then nodded. Perhaps it would be best for Daniel not to be there.

She gave him a smile. "I will come find you when we are finished."

Daniel left, a part of him wishing that he could be a fly on the wall and hear the conversation that was about to take place.

The council started off by discussing the preparations that were being made for Egeria's return.

"We have decided that we will set up a second base that will be for the primary purpose of housing you and the larvae as they mature," said Ka'resh. "Because it will not be a base of operations, it is less likely to be discovered and attacked, although, for the sake of safety, it will have to be the same tunnel construction. We will keep the knowledge of its location limited to a few individuals."

"What of Jaffa to carry my children?" Egeria asked.

"We're hoping that we will be able to find enough Jaffa among the rebels."

Celdeth, whose host was a dark-skinned woman in her forties, said, "Since most adult male Jaffa in the rebellion would refuse to leave the fighting for the years it would take the larvae to mature, we have decided that it will have to be females that we choose, ones who are willing to live on the base."

"We will have a year to find enough," said Fennol, whose host was a grey-haired man with ice-blue eyes. "Hopefully, that will be sufficient time."

"Yes, if we can talk them into it," stated Bres En, a taciturn man of swarthy complexion.

"Please explain," Egeria requested.

"We and most of the rebel Jaffa do not always get along well," Selmak told her. "There have been a few tense situations. Things are better now than they were a year ago, but they are still far from being ideal."

The Tok'ra queen nodded slightly. "I can understand why that would be the case. A great many Tok'ra must have died at the hands of the Jaffa. However, some of them are our allies now, a fact that should not be forgotten. More than that, the Jaffa in the rebellion are worthy of our respect. The Jaffa have been bred for millennia to believe in the godhood of the Goa'uld and to serve them faithfully. Such a thing would not be easily changed. And yet some among them have found the wisdom to reject all the things they have been taught from infancy and the courage to fight against not only the Goa'uld but those of their own kind who still serve the Goa'uld. I have great respect for that, and so should we all."

Selmak glanced at his fellow council members, a couple of whom were frowning slightly. "I could not agree more."

"Neither could I," said Aranae with the smallest of smiles.

Egeria asked to be filled in on what her children had accomplished since Ra captured her. That proved to take a while. She was quite impressed with their achievements and told them so.

"With the help of the Tau'ri and the rebel Jaffa, I must believe that the Goa'uld will soon be no more," she said.

Several of the Tok'ra exchanged a glance.

"The Tau'ri have been of assistance on quite a few occasions," Delek said, "however, their methods differ greatly from ours. Their propensity to create direct confrontations with the Goa'uld has caused problems and resulted in the deaths of a number of Tok'ra."

"Many of them fail to see the wisdom in operating covertly," explained Fennol.

Delek nodded. "Sometimes, they have acted with a significant lack of wisdom and prudence."

Egeria didn't like what she was hearing. "But you cannot deny the truth that the people of Earth have personally brought about the deaths or defeat of quite a number of Goa'uld. If it were not for them, those Goa'uld would still be a threat."

"No one is denying that they have accomplished a great deal in these years since they joined the fight," said Celdeth, seeing the frown of displeasure on their queen's face. "But the fact remains that their activities have also cost the lives of quite a number of us."

Selmak decided to step in. "You may be right about that, Celdeth, but, in spite of the fears some Tok'ra had that we would all soon perish, we are now in a position where the end of the Goa'uld may actually be within sight. How close to do you think we would be to destroying the Goa'uld once and for all if Earth had never joined the fight?"

"That we cannot know," Delek replied.

"Please," said Ka'resh. "Let us move on." She turned to Egeria. "We would very much like for you to remain with us while we wait for your symbiote body to be cloned."

The Tok'ra queen shook her head. "Thank you, but I will be returning to Earth. A meeting with some members of their government and military is scheduled for tomorrow."

Again, some of the council members shared a look.

"Yes, we have been told about that and about the information they want from you," Delek said. "We think that it would be unwise to give them the knowledge they seek."

Given what Daniel had told her, Egeria was not surprised by the comment, but she still wasn't happy.

"Because you think that they will misuse it," she responded.

"Their history shows that they are prone to waging war on each other," Fennol said. "With the advanced technology that you could teach them to build, they could cause even more destruction on their planet."

"Yet that has not happened with what they have already obtained and created themselves from Goa'uld technology. I think you give them too little credit. From what I have seen and learned, they have, for the most part, shown a great deal of wisdom in how to use that technology. I have faith that it will continue to remain so. They are our allies. To strengthen them is to strength us. How can you insist that we deny them knowledge that could help them defeat the Goa'uld even more quickly?"

"Or bring destruction upon themselves more quickly," Delek said. "They are a thorn in the side of the Goa'uld, a thorn that is becoming a greater irritant every day. If it were not for the fact that Earth is a protected planet, it would have been destroyed years ago. But that will not save them forever. More than once, a Goa'uld has sought to destroy them."

"Yes, and, each time Earth was threatened, they saved themselves, quite brilliantly and courageously, I might add," Egeria countered. "Again, you underestimate them. They are not weak, Delek. They are strong and to be greatly admired and respected."

Selmak couldn't help but smile. As the years had gone by, progressively fewer of the Tok'ra had been in Earth's corner, so to speak. Now, with Egeria's return, Earth and the Stargate Program had gained a staunch ally and defender.

At that moment, Egeria dropped her bombshell. "And if it were not for one of them, the Tok'ra would not exist at all."

Frowns of puzzlement formed on the faces of several of the Tok'ra there.

"What do you mean?" Malek asked.

"You know of the time travel device. What you do _not_ know is that it transported Daniel Jackson over two thousand years into the past, to a day when I was still a Goa'uld. He was there for several months, and, in that time, he became the dearest, most beloved friend I have ever had. It was he who encouraged me to speak with my host and, later, allow her to share control of her body. It was he who guided me to a new way of thinking and ultimately made me decide to create the Tok'ra. All of you," Egeria waved her hands around, "all of this would never have existed if it were not for his wisdom, courage and compassion and his ability to look beyond what I was and give to me his friendship and trust. You and all other Tok'ra born from me owe your very lives to him."

The announcement left the chamber in a stunned silence. The first to break it was Ka'resh, who looked at Selmak.

"You knew of this?"

Selmak nodded. "Daniel told me everything three years ago." _'And more,'_ he silently added.

"Then you are saying that he changed history when he went back," Celdeth said. "Did the Tok'ra not exist before his journey back in time?"

"Yes, they did," Selmak replied, "but before you start thinking that the Tok'ra would have come to be even if he'd never gone back in time, I need to explain something. From what Daniel was able to determine, he did not change history, he repeated it. The timeline that existed before his journey back in time was identical to this one. It is true that, at some point, there was an original timeline, one in which Daniel did not go back in time, but there is something I am quite sure about, and that is that the Tok'ra did not exist in that timeline."

Ellan shook his head. "We cannot know that. I must believe that Egeria would have turned from the ways of the Goa'uld and created our race even if she had not met Doctor Jackson."

"I am sorry, Ellan, but your belief is wrong," Egeria stated firmly. "I know what existed in my heart and mind before the day Daniel arrived. As much as I despised their ways, never would I have broken from the Goa'uld, and never would I have even entertained the thought of entering into conversation with my host, much less share control of her body with her. And to spawn Tok'ra without the Goa'uld genetic knowledge? No such thought would have occurred to me. I would have remained a Goa'uld and, if I still lived, would have been so to this day."

There was another long period of silence as everyone absorbed what Egeria had said.

"Then we owe Daniel Jackson a very great debt," Aranae said.

"I agree that we owe Doctor Jackson a debt of gratitude," stated Delek. "However, this does not change the situation with Earth. I think it would be a mistake to give them the information they need to duplicate Goa'uld technology." Several other members of the High Council agreed.

"Though I appreciate your concerns," responded Egeria, "the decision is up to me, and it has already been made. I will give to Earth what knowledge I can." Her expression firmed. "My decision is final." The look on her face hardened even more. "And know this. I will stand no further disparagement of the Tau'ri. When you are in my presence, you will show them respect and honor as befits the valuable allies that they are. We are all in this fight against the Goa'uld together, and I believe that it is only with their help that the Goa'uld will be brought to an end."

She got to her feet. "Now, if there is nothing more, I wish to see more of the base before I return to Earth. I would also like a copy of all of the historical records so that I may study them."

The others rose to their feet as well.

"Of course," Ka'resh said. "I would be honored to act as your guide."

Egeria smiled. "Thank you, Ka'resh, but I would very much like it if Aranae and Selmak could do so. We have so many old times about which to speak."

Ka'resh nodded. "Of course. I will see to it that a copy of all the historical records is put upon a storage device that will work with the computers at Stargate Command."

Egeria left the chamber with Selmak and Aranae. As they walked through the base, they quietly talked about the "old times," being careful to keep their voices low so as not to be overheard. Their laughter echoed through the tunnels often.

Another thing about which they talked was Daniel, Aranae wanting more details about the months he spent with Egeria. As the Tok'ra queen spoke, Aranae did not fail to notice the look in her eyes and on her face, the depth of feeling in her voice. It soon became quite clear that Daniel Jackson meant a great deal more to Egeria than just a close friend.

All at once, realization struck her. "He is the one," she blurted out.

Selmak chuckled. "I was wondering how long it would take you to figure that out."

Aranae looked at him. "Then I am right?"

Understanding what it was that Aranae had guessed, Egeria nodded. "Yes, you are right. His genetic code resides within you, as it does in Selmak and all those still living who were raised with you and blended with the first Tok'ra hosts. It is he who is your father."

Selmak's lips quirked upward. "I would not let Daniel hear you say that, if I were you, Egeria. He has been quite . . . vociferous in stressing that, biologically, he is not our father."

Egeria also smiled slightly. "Yes, technically, he is right, but I have always looked upon him as the father of the children to whom I first gave birth, and I always will." She cupped the cheeks of the man and woman standing before her. "That is why the two of you and all those others were so precious to me. I loved all my children, but you are special. More so than even you can imagine."

Selmak's gaze sharpened. "What do you mean?"

"Come. Let us go someplace where we can talk in complete privacy."

They went to the surface and over to a group of trees to get out of the sun. Egeria told Selmak and Aranae to sit as she did so herself.

"There is something that no one has ever known, not even Daniel," she said. "When the very first of my Tok'ra children were growing within me, I did something that many would say was not wise. Toward the end of the gestation period, just before you and your siblings were born, I placed deep within your minds the memories of my months with Daniel, all the things he taught me. I shared with you the memories of his goodness and compassion, his courage and strength, the beauty of his spirit. I did it in a way that would assure that you would never consciously remember, but I hoped that, subconsciously, it would have an influence on you and the kind of individuals you would be." She smiled. "And I believe that it did." She took Selmak's hand. "In you I saw Daniel's wisdom, understanding, and generosity of spirit, his refusal to judge the worth of someone by who or what they are." She then took Aranae's hand. "In you I saw his gentleness and kindness, his capacity to forgive even those who have harmed him." She smiled at both of them. "It is more than his genetic code that you carry within you. You also bear the legacy of his heart and soul."

Stunned, neither Selmak nor Aranae spoke for quite a while.

"Wow," was the first word spoken, and it came from Jacob. He then gave the Tok'ra queen an apology. "Sorry, Egeria. I decided that I'd better do the talking for a while since Selmak is sort of at a loss for words right now."

"Yes, Aranae is in the same condition," declared Fiala, Aranae's blonde-haired host.

"Um, not that I don't understand why you did that, Egeria," Jacob said, "but wasn't it awfully dangerous? What if some of the Goa'uld knowledge had leaked through?"

"You are right, of course. It was not wise. I was taking a great risk. But I so dearly wished for some of my children to know Daniel as I did, even if they would never consciously remember."

"But why did you not just tell us about him?" It was Aranae who asked, having resumed control.

Egeria explained about what Daniel had told her about himself and how she decided that the best way to protect him was to never reveal his identity to the Tok'ra.

"There were so many times when I wanted to tell you about him, to share with you how, if it were not for him, you would never have been born. I wanted to tell you how he changed my life and my heart."

Aranae looked at her closely. "You love him."

A tender, loving smile lit Egeria's face. "Yes. He is my Daniel, the love of my life. He will remain so until the day I die."

"And does he love you?"

"No. His wife had died only a year before we met, and he still loved her deeply."

"But that was then. Three years have passed for him since then."

"Aranae," Selmak said. She looked at him, and he told her with his eyes that she needed to drop this line of questioning. He then turned to Egeria. "We should get back into the tunnels. We're going to have to return to Earth soon."

Once they were back inside, they went in search of Daniel. When they found him, Aranae couldn't help but stare at him. It didn't take him long to notice.

"What?" he asked, looking at Egeria and Selmak for answers.

"Aranae and the rest of the council members now know about your journey back in time, Daniel," Egeria said.

"Oh. Um . . . okay."

"And Aranae knows a bit more as well," Selmak admitted, almost smiling.

Daniel figured out right away what he was saying. "I asked you not to tell!" he all but whined.

"Aranae is from the same brood as me, Daniel."

The archeologist's cheeks colored slightly. "Oh. Then that means that, uh. . . ."

Aranae suddenly started grinning. "Yes, Father."

Daniel promptly turned crimson, his cheeks looking like they were in danger of catching fire.

"Oh, God. Please, not you, too," he moaned. "Jack has refused to let up on the whole Tok'ra daddy thing. I can't take someone else doing the same thing. You know it's not really true." He looked at Egeria pleadingly. "Please tell me that she's the only one you told. If anybody else knows, I am never, ever setting foot in the Tok'ra base again!"

Egeria smiled broadly in amusement. "No one else knows, my Daniel. I did not tell Aranae about you. She was able to guess it on her own."

Daniel stared at the female Tok'ra. He'd met her only twice before and had developed an instant liking to her. Like Selmak, she seemed to lack the arrogance that pretty much all the other Tok'ra he'd met had displayed in varying degrees, that is except for Per'sus, whom he had also liked quite a bit. Even Lantash, the symbiote inside Martouf, had shown a hint of arrogance on one of the rare occasions that it was he who spoke rather than his host.

"Don't you dare tell anyone else, Aranae," he said in a stern voice.

"I will tell no one. I give you my word . . . Father."

Jacob and Selmak saw the look that came into Daniel's eyes, and the host half of the two decided that he just had to get in some fun of his own.

"Be careful, Aranae," Sam's father said. "He might decide to take you over his knee and give you a spanking."

"Jacob!" Daniel exclaimed in a tone that was close to being a screech.

Egeria started laughing. The look on Daniel's face was priceless.

"Okay, that's it," the archeologist said. "I'm leaving before somebody decides to be a real joker and ask me for the keys to the car." He turned to go, but Egeria caught his arm.

"Forgive us, Daniel," she said, still smiling. "You cannot blame us for wanting to have a bit of fun, can you?"

Daniel sighed. "No, I guess not, even if it is at my expense."

"I promise that we will talk of this no further." She looked at her two children. "Is that not right," she said, clearly not phrasing it as a question.

"Not another word," Selmak agreed. He jabbed the woman beside him in the ribs with his elbow. "Right, Aranae?"

Aranae sighed. "Yes, not another word."

Egeria nodded. "Good. Now that we have is settled that, let us finish the tour. Daniel? I would very much like you to join us."

He agreed, and they resumed traveling though the base.

As they walked, Aranae watched her mother and Daniel closely, seeing the way that Egeria looked at him, the smile that came often to her face. She also watched how Daniel reacted to Egeria. He, too, smiled often, his face looking more relaxed and somehow younger.

At one point, Egeria and Daniel got into a conversation with a couple of other Tok'ra, the queen pretending to be nothing more than a Tau'ri who was visiting the Tok'ra base for the first time. Aranae took the opportunity to pull Selmak aside.

"Why did you stop me earlier from asking more questions about how Daniel Jackson feels about our mother?" she asked.

Selmak stared at her. "You should be able to figure that out for yourself, Aranae. Egeria will soon be a Tok'ra symbiote again. Daniel is human. What kind of future could a relationship between them have? It could end only one way, even if Daniel agreed to be blended with a symbiote."

Aranae's gaze returned to Egeria and the man she loved, suddenly feeling sad. Selmak was right. They could have no future together, not one that would have a happy ending.

"It is such a terrible shame that the drug Egeria used all those years ago has the side effects that it does," she said.

"It may be possible that it could be improved, but it would likely take years. It took almost thirty years for its inventor to create it, and he spent another eight years unsuccessfully trying to get rid of its negative effects on the body. I don't foresee us being able to do what he couldn't in time to enable Daniel to start using it while he is still young enough for it to really benefit him."

"But if he became a Tok'ra, he would have more time."

"Yes, but would you really want Egeria to pin all her hopes on something that we might never be able to accomplish? And taking that drug in its present form would not work. Do you recall how it ruled Egeria's life, how she had to make sure every day that she got enough sunlight?"

Aranae nodded. "It was worse in the winter. She had to remain in the solarium for several hours."

"Yes. It would be the same way for Daniel, and, unlike the case with Egeria back then, he would not be in some peaceful city where there was little danger. He would constantly be living under the threat of being in a situation where he could not get out into the sun. Not only would his own life be put at risk, it could also cause serious trouble for others if he started suffering the results of not getting enough sunlight. Working at Stargate Command would be problematic, and he could not remain a member of SG-1. It would be too dangerous. Staying at the base with Egeria would also be a problem since he would have to spend too much time outside the tunnels." Selmak shook his head. "I am afraid that, no matter how you look at it, it would not work. And that is not even taking into consideration that he would have to have regular access to a sarcophagus."

Just then, Daniel and Egeria came over, halting the conversation.

"It's getting pretty late," the archeologist said. "We need to get back to Earth."

Selmak nodded. "I will get a message to the rest of the High Council that we are leaving."

Aranae looked at him. "You are returning to Earth as well?"

"Yes. I will be staying there as we await Thor's return. Jacob is quite happy about that since it will give him a chance to spend some real time with his daughter. He is also planning a trip to visit his son for a couple of days."

Aranae turned to her mother. "I wish for you to know that I will be personally involved in finding a host for you. I want us to find someone worthy of you."

Egeria gave her a smile. "I appreciate that, Aranae, though the truth is that she and I must be worthy of each other."

Aranae nodded once. "Yes, of course."

Egeria kissed her cheek. "Until we see each other again."

Aranae left, telling Jacob that she'd take care of letting the High Council know that the three of them were leaving.

Fifteen minutes later, Daniel, Egeria and Selmak were at the gate. They were joined by several council members.

"When Thor arrives, you must contact us so that we may send someone to be there for the transference," Ka'resh said. "We are confident that we will have two or three potential hosts for you to meet by then."

After assuring the council members that they would be contacted at the proper time, Egeria went through the gate with Daniel and Selmak, giving no hint that it was a day she was not looking forward to with eagerness.


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER ELEVEN

At eight o'clock the next morning, SG-1, General Hammond, Egeria and Jacob were all gathered in the briefing room along with three visitors. The visitors were General Howard Irwin from the Pentagon, Senator Lewis Smith and Doctor Timothy Pastrell, one of the leading scientists in Research and Development at Area 51.

"I must say that it is quite an honor to meet you, Egeria," Doctor Pastrell said. "I have read the file on you and was quite impressed."

"Thank you, Doctor."

"All right, let's get down to business," said General Irwin. "From what I understand, as a Goa'uld queen—"

"_Former_ Goa'uld queen," Daniel corrected.

"Of course. My apologies. As a symbiote queen, you possess the genetic knowledge of your entire species. Is that right?"

"No, that is not true," Egeria replied. "No Goa'uld possesses all of the knowledge. Each queen is born only with the knowledge of her lineage, which she passes on to her children. Because of this, each line has some knowledge that others do not."

"So, exactly what knowledge _do_ you have?" The question had come from Senator Smith.

"I know many things. I understand that you are interested in Goa'uld technology. I can give you detailed plans for quite a number of devices that you might find useful, although I cannot guarantee that you will be able to reproduce all of them with the tools and materials that you would have available to you. I can also tell you secrets about the Goa'uld that no human has ever known. I have knowledge of many civilizations, both human and nonhuman. There may be formulas for medicines that I can share with you."

"And you're just going to give all that to us out of the goodness of your heart?" asked Senator Smith with a distinct tone of doubt and sarcasm.

Daniel focused a glare upon the man, seeing shades of Kinsey in the senator. Before he could say anything, however, Egeria replied, her own eyes spearing into the man, her chin lifting with a remnant of the haughtiness that Daniel had seen on several occasions.

"Exactly what is it that you are implying, Senator? Do you believe that I have some ulterior motive, that I would demand some sort of payment in return? I have been seeking the downfall of the Goa'uld for over two thousand years, from a time when your ancestors very likely worshiped one or more of them. I sacrificed all that I had to help free this world from the Goa'uld and spent two millennia trapped in a stasis jar as a consequence. Do not insult me by implying that, after all that, I would now seek personal gain. It is quite ludicrous to even consider such a thing."

Jack was almost grinning by the time she finished dressing down the senator. Oh, yeah. She was definitely starting to grow on him.

There was a noticeable flush on the senator's face.

"I would like to apologize if the senator insulted you," General Irwin said. "We are simply not accustomed to individuals with knowledge of advanced technology being willing to give it to us freely and with no strings attached. Most of the time, they are unwilling to give it to us at all."

Egeria nodded once. "Yes, that is what I was told. The truth is that the Tok'ra have great concerns as well. They are concerned that you will use the technology against your fellow humans."

"Yes, that's one of the main reasons why some of the other advanced civilizations we've met refused to give us anything," Sam said.

"They were afraid we'd blow each other to bits with it," Jack added.

"I assure you that will not happen," Irwin declared. "We understand the dangers."

Daniel couldn't help but think about what happened in the vision that Shifu gave him, how Earth came close to a nuclear war because of the Goa'uld technology that he gave to the United States. They would all have to make sure that the same mistakes weren't made in reality.

Doctor Pastrell spoke up. "I understand that, if the Asgard can clone your symbiote body, your consciousness will be transferred into it, and you will then return to live with the Tok'ra so that you can produce more of them. How much information would you be able to give us before then?"

Egeria glanced at Daniel, seeing that he was now staring at the tabletop, a slight frown on his face.

"I could manage to tell you only a fraction of what I know before then," she said. "However, my return to the Tok'ra would not prevent me from continuing to give you information. I would see to it that you were contacted periodically and more information transmitted to you. In truth, it will take quite some time for me to give you all the knowledge that I feel would be of benefit to you. But I assure you that you will receive it."

"For which we are grateful," General Irwin responded. He looked at the senator and the scientist. "Unless there are some other questions, I believe that is all we need to know for now. I have given General Hammond a wish list, so to speak, certain items that we are especially interested in. He can go over the list with you." He got up from the table, as did the other two men. "I believe I speak for all of us when I say that I hope this will be the start of an even closer and more mutually beneficial relationship between Earth and the Tok'ra."

Egeria nodded her head once. "I have every intention of seeing that it is, General. That I assure you."

The moment the three men had left, Jack turned to Hammond. "So, what's on the wish list?"

The general smiled slightly. "Something told me that you would be very interested to know that, so I made copies for everyone." He passed out a copy of the list to each person at the table.

"Well, I can tell you right now that some of these things won't be possible," Jacob said. "The personal shields are a recent invention, so Egeria wouldn't have any knowledge of them, and the cloaking technology didn't exist on any Goa'uld ship until a couple of decades ago, yet another thing stolen from an advanced species. Her knowledge of the hyperdrive would be out of date. The hyperdrive engines that the Goa'uld now have are many times faster and more powerful than what they were when Egeria was captured by Ra."

"Why on Earth do they want the plans for the ribbon device and healing device?" Daniel asked. "Don't they realize that you can't operate those unless you have Naquadah in your blood? Nobody would be able use them except Sam."

Startled, Egeria looked at him, then at the major. "How is it that you have Naquadah in your blood?"

Daniel was the one who answered. "Oh, that's another one of those long stories. We can tell you about it later." He returned his attention to the list and began to frown. "They want the plans for the sarcophagus."

"Yes, I noticed that," said Jack. "I'm not so sure that's such a good idea. I have images of some general or government type who wants to live forever using it and turning into a heartless, megalomaniacal monster with the power to shoot missiles at countries and people he really shouldn't."

"God, don't say that, Jack," Daniel said. "I just thought of Kinsey using it."

"He's already a heartless, megalomaniacal monster, Daniel, so it probably wouldn't affect him much."

"Well, I wouldn't exactly call him a _monster_."

Before Jack could form a retort, General Hammond told him to leave it be.

"What other things are on the list?" Egeria asked, wondering who this Kinsey was.

Daniel looked at her, and it suddenly dawned on him that she wouldn't be able to read it.

"I'm going to have to teach you English," he said. "In the meantime, I can translate it into Goa'uld for you."

"My apologies, Egeria," Hammond said. "It did not occur to me that you would be unable to read this."

"That is all right, General Hammond."

Daniel read aloud the entire contents of the list, Egeria stopping him for clarification each time he got to something about which she had no knowledge. In the end, it turned out that she had useful knowledge for a little over half of the things.

"Well, that's not as many as I'm sure they were hoping for," Sam said, "but some of these things will be a big help."

"Yes, like the weapons," Jack responded.

"Now, how did I know that you were going to zero right in on those, Jack?" Daniel murmured, not really phrasing it as a question.

Sam tapped her finger on one item in particular. "Out of all these things, a safe method for converting Naquadah to a liquid is one of the most important. Many Goa'uld devices, like the staff weapons and zat guns, are powered by liquid Naquadah. So far, we've been taking the liquid Naquadah from staff weapons we acquire, but our supply is very limited."

"I am quite familiar with the procedure," Egeria told her. "I am confident that we will be able to succeed in giving you a way to produce it in large quantities. However, I would advise, for the sake of safely, that the production facility be located on an uninhabited planet."

"You mean just in case somebody screws up and the entire area goes boom?" Jack asked.

The Tok'ra queen nodded. "It has happened on occasion, and many lives were lost because the Goa'uld saw no need to take precautions against killing innocent people and built the facilities on inhabited worlds."

"Gee, what a surprise."

Realizing that Egeria was going to need a place to work, she was set up in one of the labs. Unfortunately, because she was unable to read English nor any other modern Earth language, the number of things she could do on a computer was limited. Sam instructed her on the use of the laptop and software as well as she could with the help of Daniel, who wrote a list of translations for all the menu items on the programs she would be using, plus some other important words.

Shortly after lunch, SG-1 and Jacob gathered in Sam's lab.

"I supposed that the Tok'ra wouldn't be willing to loan us a computer," Daniel said when the topic came up.

"I doubt it since most of the High Council are against the whole idea of Egeria giving you that knowledge," Jacob replied. "In fact, she almost got into an argument with them about it. She is very firmly in your corner. She tried to impress upon them that you've done a pretty good job so far of handling advanced technology and that, since you are our allies, giving you the ability to fight the Goa'uld more effectively will help the Tok'ra, too."

"But they didn't budge?" Sam asked.

"I'm afraid not."

"You know," said Jack, "I just got this image of Mommy Egeria telling all her two-thousand-year-old kids to play nice and share their toys with us."

Sam, who was now a little ticked off, responded, "And they're whining, 'But, Mom, we don't wanna share 'cause they'll break them.'"

Jack let out a snort. "_We'll_ break them? If there's anyone who shouldn't be sharing their toys, it's us. Look what happened when we let them play with our mothership. They had it one day, and they got it all shot up and then crashed it into a planet! I _knew_ it was a bad idea to share it with them. I distinctly remember saying to Teal'c at the time that the Tok'ra don't share with us, so why should we share with them? But noooo. We played nice and shared _our_ toys, and look what it got us."

"I would like to point out at this time that I happen to be the Tok'ra who did all that, and you were right there with me," Jacob said.

Jack paused for a moment. "Yeah, well, the point is that we're not the ones who break other people's toys . . . unless they belong to the Goa'uld."

"Or the Russians," Daniel added.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot about that unfortunate little incident with their DHD."

After the others left, Daniel went to see how Egeria was doing. He found that she was presently working on some schematics for one of the devices on the wish list. As they chatted, the conversation eventually drifted into a discussion about the people Daniel befriended during his months on Estrania. He asked how they fared in the years after his departure.

"Decimus, of course, remained in his beloved library," Egeria replied. "He devoted himself to teaching Titus all he knew. He talked about you often throughout the years."

"He knew where I came from."

The announcement surprised Egeria. "He did?"

"Yeah. I told him just before I left. I wanted him to know. I made him promise that he would never tell a soul."

"He kept that promise, Daniel, right to the day he died. He had a wonderfully long life for a human, and his mind never weakened. It remained sharp and clear to the end. He died peacefully in his sleep. I had a tomb constructed for him, one worthy of the great man that he was."

Daniel was happy to hear that she'd done that. "Thank you for doing that, Egeria."

"He was my friend as well, Daniel, although I did not truly appreciate him as a friend until you came and made me see what had been missing from my life."

They were both silent for a moment, thinking about the man who had touched both of their lives. Egeria then told Daniel about Titus, how he came to care for the library and its contents as much as Decimus did. She talked about the woman he married and their children.

"Did he take the books and scrolls with him when the population was moved?"

"Yes. I did not want them to be lost, so I gave them all to him."

Egeria talked next about Aulus, who continued as the master builder until he became too old to handle the work. Egeria then moved him into the palace so that he could live his remaining years being well cared for. Like Decimus, he died in his sleep.

The Tok'ra queen's eyes met Daniel. "I must tell you about Arria."

Daniel's gaze dropped to the desktop. He'd been afraid to ask about her. Egeria had continued to use the sarcophagus periodically right up to the point that the human population was moved, which meant that Arria aged very little during that time. After that, she would have aged at the same rate that all Tok'ra hosts did. Therefore, she would still have been fairly young when Egeria was captured by Ra. Daniel hadn't wanted to think about what must have been done to her as Ra wreaked his revenge on Egeria.

Seeing the look on Daniel's face, Egeria rested her hand on his arm. "Do not fear, Daniel. I was not within Arria when I was captured."

"You weren't? Did you switch to another host?"

"No. When I realized that there was no escape, that I could not get away from Ra, I told Arria that I would not let her suffer and die with me. I left her body, and she was hidden by the Jaffa that I had charged with the duty of protecting her. I knew that, by the time Ra found me, I would either be dead or close to it, and I believed that he would be more concerned with getting me to a sarcophagus and a tank than in finding my former host. I was right. Ra wasted no time trying to find Arria. He was content with having just me. I can only hope that she found a place to live the rest of her life in peace."

Daniel was greatly relieved that Arria had not been tortured and killed by Ra, and he was glad that she might have had a good life for the remainder of her years.

Daniel's thoughts were interrupted by Jack, who came waltzing into the office.

"Howdy, campers," the colonel greeted cordially. "Anyone up for some dessert? They have chocolate cream pie in the commissary." He looked at Egeria. "From what I understand, you love chocolate as much as this guy does."

She smiled. "Yes, I do. I would love to have some of this chocolate cream pie."

"Well, then let's go."

As they were heading out the door, Daniel's phone rang. Upon learning that it was a member of his staff, he told Jack and Egeria to go on ahead to the commissary, and he'd meet them there.

On the way, the colonel and the Tok'ra queen got into a casual conversation. They were approaching the commissary when Jack suddenly recalled something he'd been wanting to ask Egeria.

"So, Egeria. What's the whole story behind those statues that were made of Daniel and that garden they were in?"

"Jack!" shouted a voice, sounding like the report of a rifle. The colonel and Egeria saw Daniel striding up to them.

The archeologist turned to the former queen. "Don't you tell him a word about that. The only reason he wants to know is so that he can torment me with it for the rest of my life."

Egeria's eyebrows lifted as she looked back and forth between the two men, Daniel staring daggers at the grey-haired man, who returned the stare defiantly.

"Then I shall die before breathing a word of it to him, my Daniel," she finally swore.

That sent _Jack's_ eyebrows skyward. "_My_ Daniel?"

"Not another word, Jack," Daniel warned.

Egeria watched the two men with great amusement. Even though, on the surface, their words appeared to contain hostility, she could sense a bond between them, one quite unlike anything she had ever seen.

They completed the journey to the commissary, where both Daniel and Jack had fun watching Egeria consume her piece of chocolate cream pie like it was ambrosia from heaven.

"Wow. And I thought that _you_ liked chocolate," Jack murmured to Daniel.

Egeria smiled. "I will never forget the day that Daniel presented the chocolates he made especially for me. They were the most wonderful things I had ever tasted. He—"

Jack interrupted her. "Whoa! Whoa! Hold on there. Are you saying that Daniel made chocolate on Estrania?" He turned to the archeologist. "Another little item that you left out of your report, Danny Boy?"

_'Oh, God. I really am in hell, aren't I,'_ Daniel groaned inwardly. Deciding that he was not about to give Jack more ammunition against him, he calmly replied, "I didn't have it in there because it was no big deal. I'd given Egeria a taste of one of my power bars, and she really liked it. I was in the marketplace one day and happened to find something that sounded like it might have similar properties to cacao beans. I did some experimenting and managed to come up with something similar to chocolate. I did it mainly as a gift for her."

Jack stared at Daniel closely. He had a suspicion that there was a lot more to this than that, but the bland expression on the archeologist's face told him that Daniel wasn't going to let Jack bait him on this topic.

Once the archeologist and Tok'ra queen were back in his office, he told her never to breathe a word to anyone about his chocolate recipe spreading to virtually every household in Estrania.

"Jack has been making my life hell teasing me about those statues, my DNA being used for some of the Tok'ra, that book about me, and anything else he could use to torment me about my trip back in time," he said. "I count myself lucky that nobody on Egerania said anything about the 'legendary' Daniel being the one to introduce chocolate to their people."

Egeria smiled. "I will tell no one, Daniel. But you must tell me something. How is it that you and Jack are friends if he torments you so?"

"Well, it's usually not this bad, and it's not like I've never gotten back at him. As for us being friends, my relationship with Jack is rather . . . complicated. Sometimes, I feel like strangling him, whereas, other times, there's no one I feel closer to. We've been through a whole lot together. All of us have, really. Jack, Sam and Teal'c are the closest thing I have to a family, and I care about all of them a lot – even if we seldom talk about it."

The next morning, Sam dropped in to say hi to Egeria. When the major saw what the Tok'ra queen was working on, she started asking questions. That led to Sam spending most of the morning there, asking dozens of questions about the things Egeria was giving them. As the hours passed, Sam's liking for her grew, the two women eventually straying into "girl talk."

It was probably no great surprise that the most popular topic of discussion was Daniel. It didn't take Sam long to see that the archeologist had a great admirer in Egeria. She sang his praises quite loudly. In fact, it seemed like, in Egeria's eyes, he could do no wrong. She wanted Sam to tell her about all the things that Daniel had accomplished, his contributions to the SGC and how his knowledge and actions had helped in their fight against the Goa'uld.

Eventually, the accident on Kelowna came up. As Sam recalled those horrible three days that Daniel lay dying, she couldn't help but get a little upset.

"You care about him a great deal," Egeria remarked quietly.

Sam smiled tenderly. "Yeah. He's one of the best friends I've ever had, and I love him a lot. We've always had a great relationship, right from the start. During the year that he was gone, it felt like there was this big empty place in my heart."

"There was a great emptiness in my heart as well after he left." There was a touch of lingering sorrow in Egeria's voice.

Sam studied her face. "You really love him, don't you."

"Yes. I believe that I began falling in love with him the day I first laid eyes upon him, though it was only my desire for him that I was aware of in the beginning. My love for him is like nothing else I have ever felt. It fills my heart so full. All the centuries that passed after we said goodbye could not erase it."

Sam wondered what it would be like to love someone so deeply that even being apart for two thousand years didn't cause it to fade.

The astrophysicist recalled the thoughts she'd had when she learned how Egeria got Daniel's DNA. She was tempted to mention it, but she didn't want to be too forward.

"Is there something wrong?" Egeria asked, having seen an expression of uncertainty pass over Sam's face.

"Um . . . no. I just have a question, but I didn't know if I should ask it. It's pretty personal."

"Please ask. If I do not want to answer, I will tell you."

"Uh, okay. I know about how you got Daniel's DNA, the . . . accident with your pheromone drug." Sam watched Egeria's eyes fill with pain and guilt. "I'm sorry. Forget I even mentioned it."

Egeria sighed. "No, it is all right. Hurting him as I did was one of the greatest regrets of my life. Even to this day, I have not forgiven myself for it."

"But it was an accident. You didn't do it deliberately."

"No, I did not, but it was still my fault. As I held him, I could feel my love and desire for him escaping my control. I could have backed away, put some distance between us, but I deliberately ignored the danger signs. That foolishness and moment of weakness resulted in me hurting him deeply and in destroying a portion of the trust that had been forged between us. It was only because of Daniel's great heart that it did not destroy our relationship completely."

"None of us are perfect, Egeria. We all make mistakes."

"Yes, we do, and I have made many others, but, out of all of them, that was the most bitter. I know that he has forgiven me, but I cannot forgive myself."

* * *

The next day was the team's day off, and Sam was in the mood to go shopping. What she really wanted to do was take Egeria shopping, thinking that the woman deserved to take a break and have some fun.

She found the Tok'ra queen with Daniel in his office.

"Come on, Egeria," she said with a big smile. "We are going shopping!"

"Shopping?" the other two said at the same time.

"Yep. I asked General Hammond, and he said that it would be okay as long as I stayed with you at all times. He even gave me some money to get you some things."

"Umm . . . I don't want to ruin your plans, Sam," Daniel said, "but there is a problem. If Egeria talks, everyone around you is going to hear the language she's actually speaking. They're going to wonder why it is that she's speaking one language and you're speaking another, yet you understand each other."

Sam bit her lip in consternation. "Oh. Yeah, I didn't think about that." The translator inside the Stargate did not work outside the mountain. Having actually traveled through the Stargate, Egeria and Sam would still be able to understand each other, but no one else in Colorado Springs would be able to understand the Tok'ra queen.

"Then perhaps Daniel can go with us," Egeria suggested. "He can pretend to be our translator."

"Sure, that would work."

"We'd have to speak Abydonian," Daniel said. "Latin is too recognizable, and Goa'uld is too alien."

Egeria nodded. "Then Abydonian it will be."

The Tok'ra queen found everything about the trip into town interesting. She asked about how the car worked and watched Daniel carefully as he drove. Once they got to Colorado Springs, her eyes went everywhere, taking it all in. And then they reached the mall. As they went inside, Egeria couldn't help but stare, utterly fascinated. She gazed through the windows and doors of every shop they passed, asking dozens of questions.

When they got to one particular store, she stopped dead, her eyes brightening with delight.

"Books!" she cried. "Oh, may we go in?"

"You won't be able to read any of them," he told her.

"That is all right. I simply wish to look."

They went into the shop, Egeria's eyes passing over the many books on the shelves, admiring their colorfully illustrated covers. Daniel took her over to the small selection of travel books. Searching the titles, he found one on Italy.

Egeria was delighted with the photos of the ancient Roman ruins.

"Oh, how I would love to go there and see them," she said.

"I'd love to take you."

She looked at Daniel hopefully. "Then we could go?"

"Um, no, I'm afraid not," he answered regretfully. "Even if they would allow it, by the time we got there, we'd just about have to turn around and come right back."

Wishing that he could have given her a different answer, Daniel asked if she would like to have the book. She said yes, so he bought it for her.

The next shop they went inside was a shoe store. Egeria was astounded by how many different colors and varieties there were. She recalled what Daniel had said about the fascination most women on his planet had with shoes, and she could see that he was obviously right.

Perusing the selection of footwear, they received several stares from people as Daniel translated from English to Abydonian and back again, but they mostly ignored the looks. They left the shop a while later with two new pairs of shoes for Egeria, though the woman had insisted that it was not necessary to get her any.

"I know," Sam replied. "I just thought that you might like to have something else to wear the rest of the time you're here besides BDUs and clothes borrowed from other people."

"Uh, I assume this means that the next stop is a clothing store," Daniel said.

The major grinned. "Yep."

At the clothing store, Sam had fun making suggestions on what she thought would look good on Egeria. Being more accustomed to full-length dresses, the Tok'ra queen gravitated toward the skirts and dresses that hung below the knee, especially the ones with full skirts. Sam, however, was determined to get her into at least one outfit that was a little sexier.

At one point, when Daniel was turned away, Sam snatched a dress she'd been eyeing off the rack and hid it under the others she was carrying.

"Well, I think we have enough to try on," she said.

Daniel walked with them to the door of the ladies dressing room, taking a seat just outside. The two women went into one of the booths.

The first dress Egeria tried on was one with a floral print, a snug bodice and a full skirt.

"Would you like to model it for Daniel?" Sam asked.

"Model it?"

"Show him what it looks like on you."

Egeria smiled. "Yes." She exited the booth and went to the doorway. "Daniel?"

The archeologist's turned, standing upon seeing her.

"Does it please you?" she asked.

Daniel nodded. "It's beautiful. It looks great on you."

Pleased, Egeria smiled. "Thank you."

That dress was just the first thing she modeled for him. She wanted his opinion on everything she tried on, asking him to be honest about what he said.

At last, there was nothing left to try on except for the dress Sam had selected. Egeria stared at it.

"Is that for you?" she asked.

"Nope. I picked it for you."

"It is quite different from the others."

"Uh huh. Come on. I want to see what it looks like on you. And I can guarantee that Daniel will love it."

A smile coming to her lips, Egeria gave a nod.

* * *

Daniel glanced at his watch, wondering how much longer the women would be. This wasn't exactly the way he'd planned on spending his day off. Actually, he'd been hoping to take a long walk with Egeria and perhaps have a picnic. Instead, he was sitting here as she tried on what seemed like a dozen outfits.

"Daniel."

The archeologist stood and turned, prepared to give his opinion on yet another item of clothing. And then he saw what Egeria was wearing.

As dresses go, it was far from being the sexiest one that Daniel had ever seen, yet he was finding it quite impossible not to stare, and his lungs seemed to be having a hard time functioning properly. Ending just above her knees, the dress hugged her figure in all the right places, the halter top showing just the tiniest hint of cleavage. The green color perfectly matched her eyes and, combined with her long black hair, gave her an exotic appearance.

Quite forcefully, Daniel was hit with the desire to pull her into his arms and kiss her. Jerking himself back from those thoughts, he managed to say, "That's . . . that's beautiful, Egeria."

"You like it, then?" she asked.

_'God, yes,'_ he replied silently. Aloud, he said, "Very much."

Giving him a little smile, Egeria turned around and went back into the dressing room.

Feeling the overpowering need to escape, Daniel left the shop and walked over to the nearest seats. He sat down rather heavily. This was not good. Actually, this was really, really bad. He couldn't have feelings like this. He couldn't think about her in that way. In only a matter of days, she would be in her new symbiote body and be starting her life with the Tok'ra. He could not be a part of that life, except for an occasional visit. He could not have a relationship with Egeria except as a friend.

Why was this happening? Why couldn't his feelings have remained what they were when he knew her before, just those of a close friend? He couldn't let this happen. He could not fall in love with her!

Daniel was still sitting on the bench, staring at the floor, when Sam and Egeria came out of the shop.

"Daniel?" Sam inquired with a hint of concern.

Schooling his face into a pleasant expression, the archeologist lifted his head. He gave them a smile. "All finished?"

"Yes. Egeria and I are getting kind of hungry, so I thought we could go over to the food court."

"Okay."

Throughout the meal, Sam kept glancing at Daniel. Something was wrong. Oh, he was putting up a good front, but she'd known him too long not to see past it. The smiles he gave didn't reach his eyes, and he was being too quiet.

Now that she thought about it, Egeria was being quieter, too. Not knowing her as well, Sam couldn't read her mood, but she wasn't smiling as often as she had been. So, what was wrong?

Sam's mind went back to the green dress. She'd been peaking out of the booth and saw Daniel's reaction to it. No woman on this planet or any other would have failed to recognize the look in his eyes. When Egeria returned to the booth, she'd appeared to be quite pleased by Daniel's reaction.

They were both surprised when they left the booth a couple of minutes later and found that Daniel was gone. They went to the front of the shop and spotting him sitting on a nearby bench, elbows on knees, head bowed. Sam had been able to tell right away that something was wrong.

For some reason, Egeria chose not to get the green dress, and, as she put it back on the rack, Sam had noticed that the little smile was gone.

As the major thought about the whole thing, the answer suddenly came to her. No, actually, it hit her like a ton of bricks, making her feel like a complete and utter idiot. Oh, God. She should have thought of this before and never had Egeria try on that dress.

Feeling terribly guilty, Sam looked again at Daniel. She recalled his confession to her, that, if he'd met Egeria at a later time in his life, he might have fallen in love with her. Well, this was that later time in his life, and Egeria had returned. The problem was that she wasn't going to stay. Her future lay with the Tok'ra as the mother of their future generations. She and Daniel could never be together.

Feeling quite depressed now, Sam abruptly lost her appetite. Seeing as neither of the other two people were all that hungry either, they all decided to head on back to the base.

Once they arrived, Egeria went to her quarters with her new clothing. She set the shoes on the floor, then began hanging up her new clothes. She ran her fingers over them, recalling the comments Daniel had made about each one.

All at once, she began to cry. Silent tears sliding down her face, she finished putting the clothes away, then went to the bed and sat down. When she saw the look in Daniel's eyes as he gazed at her in that green dress, it filled her with excitement and pleasure. It was a look she had wanted to see in those eyes for so long.

It wasn't until several minutes later, when she saw Daniel sitting on that bench in the mall's concourse, that it suddenly hit her that, even if he did come to feel the same things for her that she felt for him, it would make no difference. They still could not be together.

For the first time in her life, Egeria cursed what she was. If she was just an ordinary human being, she could stay here and be with Daniel. They could have a life together. But, though, presently, her consciousness was inside the body of a human, that was only temporary. As much as she might want otherwise, it could be no other way. She had a duty to fulfill. Her children were counting on her. She had to set aside her desires and look to the future of her people – even if it broke her heart.

* * *

Feeling the need to be alone, Daniel decided to go home. It having been a week since he was there, there was a lot to do. Fortunately, he'd had the good sense not to buy any perishables the last time he went grocery shopping, so he didn't have to throw away any food.

As he went through his mail, email and phone messages, then straightened up the house, he knew that what he was really doing was trying to keep his mind off Egeria. The problem was that it wasn't working. The image of her face kept coming into his mind, the memory of her body in that green dress plaguing his thoughts.

No. That wasn't Egeria, not really. It was Ria's body and face he was looking at, a body that was only on loan to Egeria. He had to keep that in mind.

The thing was that, even keeping that in mind, it only took care of the physical desire. It helped not one iota with the other feelings, the ones that were growing inside his heart despite all his best efforts to keep them out. It was those feelings that made him want to hold Egeria in his arms and never let go. They were the ones that made him imagine what it would be like to spend the rest of his life with her.

_'Dammit! Stop thinking about that! You know you can't have that, so why do you keep torturing yourself?'_

Daniel didn't understand how his feelings could be changing so quickly. It had been only six days since he'd gotten Egeria back, yet, in that short time, his feelings had gone from mere friendship to something so much deeper. Then again, maybe that wasn't really true.

Daniel recalled the thoughts he'd had and the feelings he'd experienced ever since he regained the memory of talking to her while he was ascended, the revelation he'd made when he was looking at the printout of her image. Could it be that, deep down inside his heart, where even he couldn't see it, some part of him had always felt this way? Could he have started feeling more than friendship for her during those months on Estrania, but was blind to it because of his love for Sha're?

But then, it didn't really matter, did it. It made not one damn bit of difference when he actually started feeling this way. The point was that he needed to put more effort into _not_ feeling this way. He needed to concentrate on just the friendship stuff. If he could do that, then it wouldn't tear a hole in his heart when they had to say goodbye.


	12. Chapter 12

CHAPTER TWELVE

Deciding that the best way to rein in his feelings for Egeria was to never be alone with her for very long, Daniel made an effort over the next two days to include one or more of his teammates whenever he spent time with her. In doing so, he learned a few things. It appeared that Sam and Egeria were becoming quite good friends, chatting and laughing about this and that whenever they got together. Egeria had never before had a girlfriend, unless you counted Arria, so it was nice to see her developing that kind of relationship.

As for Jack, he seemed to have warmed up to Egeria, apparently having completely gotten over the whole Goa'uld thing. He even talked to her about fishing and hockey. Though she obviously understood the former, the latter was a bit confusing and puzzling to her.

The real surprise, however, was Teal'c. Daniel and Egeria were having dinner when the Jaffa came over and asked if he could join them. In the conversation that followed, Egeria asked many questions about him and the Jaffa rebellion, it being quite clear that she greatly respected him and his fellow rebels. Teal'c, in turn, appeared to have a lot of respect for Egeria. These things were not the surprise. The surprise was what Daniel sensed underneath the respect: a current of deep understanding. For a while, Daniel couldn't quite put his finger on what was behind it, and then it suddenly became clear. Within Teal'c's heart was the guilt of all the atrocities that he committed while serving the Goa'uld. In Egeria's heart was the guilt over what her species had done and the knowledge that, during the first half of her life, two thousand years of existence, she stood by and did nothing about it, accepting the evil of her race and choosing only to have no part in it. That shared guilt linked the two in a unique bond.

"What became of the Jaffa who served you after you were captured by Ra?" Teal'c asked at one point in the conversation.

"Most of them were gone long before then," Egeria replied. "After sending my human subjects through the gate, I released from service all of the Jaffa who were not carrying my children. They did not want to go, but I knew that they could not stay, for, if the Goa'uld discovered that I was the one who was attempting to halt the taking of humans from Earth, I would have no choice but to go into hiding. I could not have many thousands of Jaffa with me. As for the rest, as each of the Tok'ra symbiotes they carried matured and were blended with a host, I made sure that they were implanted with other larvae, then I sent them away, too. That was during the years that I stayed on Estrania after the human population was gone. This I did until there were only five hundred Jaffa left. Those five hundred remained with me until the end, although some were killed protecting me as I continually tried to stay out of Ra's grasp. They were the ones who carried the children to whom I gave birth during those years in hiding." Egeria sighed sadly. "They all died trying to protect me on that last day, the day that Ra finally captured me – all except for four. Those four I charged with the duty of protecting my host, Arria, until she found a safe place to live."

"You were no longer in your host when you were captured?"

Egeria told him what she had told Daniel about her actions to protect her host.

"I do not know what became of all the Jaffa I released from service," she said. "I can only hope that they did not suffer because of my actions."

Daniel had to wonder about that. All of her Jaffa would have worn her mark upon their foreheads. Would the Goa'uld have allowed any of them to live, Jaffa who had served the one who betrayed her own kind? He had a feeling that they wouldn't, although he hoped that he was wrong.

* * *

It was the next day that Thor arrived.

"So, did you get the whole planet irradiated?" Jack asked. "All the little buggers gone?"

"It was not necessary to irradiate the entire planet, O'Neill," the Asgard replied. "The microorganisms existed only on the one continent and three islands that were inhabited. If it had been necessary for me to irradiate the entire planet, I would still be there."

"Oh. Okay. Well, as long as you got them all."

"The pathogen has been eradicated."

"That's excellent news, Thor," Hammond said. "We now have another request. Doctor Jackson, would you like to fill him in?"

Daniel briefly explained to Thor about his trip back in time, meeting Egeria, and how it was that Egeria was there now.

"We were unaware that the Furlings were experimenting with time travel," Thor stated at the end of the archeologist's narration.

"Really?" Jack responded. "Was it common for the members in your four races club not to tell the others what they were up to?"

"We did not tell each other everything, O'Neill. However, something of this magnitude should have been mentioned."

"Our plan is to destroy the device to prevent it from falling into the hands of the Goa'uld," General Hammond told the Asgard. "But we decided to ask if you would like to take it instead to study the technology."

Thor nodded his head slightly. "Yes, the Asgard would be most interested in examining the device."

"Then you're welcome to it," Jack responded. "The sooner you take it, the safer we'll all feel."

"We removed a piece from it to disable it," Sam told the Asgard, "so we'll have to give that to you as well."

"Thor, we need your help with something," Daniel said. "The body that Egeria's consciousness is in is just, um, on loan. It belongs to a woman named Ria, whose own consciousness is being temporarily stored. When we got the copy of Egeria's consciousness, we also got a DNA sample of her symbiote body. We were wondering if it would be possible for you to clone it."

"The Asgard have never attempted to clone a symbiote."

"But it would be possible, wouldn't it?" Jacob asked.

"Yes, although it would be advisable for us to first do some experimentation to determine the correct procedures."

"That wouldn't be a problem. I can get you DNA samples from as many Tok'ra as you need."

"Will you wish for the growth to be accelerated?"

"Yes, if it will be possible."

"Symbiote maturation happens more quick than that of humans, so that, too, will have to be perfected, but I do not believe that it will be difficult."

"Do you want us to go ahead and give you Egeria's DNA sample?" Sam asked.

"Yes. Because she is a queen, we will need to study it to see how it differs from that of other symbiotes."

A short while later, Thor left with the promise that he would contact them once the Asgard had completed their tests.

As soon as he was gone, Jacob contacted the Tok'ra base to fill them in. He learned that three possible hosts had been found for Egeria. The High Council wanted her to come through and meet them.

An hour later, Egeria and Jacob went to the base. When they got there, they discovered quite quickly that all of the Tok'ra had been told about Egeria, the High Council feeling that it was safe to do so since the Asgard were taking the time device.

Every Tok'ra Egeria passed bowed their head. Some came up to her and expressed their joy at her return. A few had tears in their eyes. It made her feel good that she was bringing such happiness to her children.

The joy was hers as she met the remaining ones of her offspring who had lived with her on Estrania, that joy brightest of all as she was reunited with the precious few who bore Daniel's DNA.

The first potential host that Egeria met was a woman named Suri. Quite tall, with mahogany hair and an olive completion, she was a woman with strong opinions and reminded Egeria of her first host, Ishala.

The second woman was Calee. Petite and fair-skinned, with hair the color of corn silk, she was the complete opposite of Suri in appearance. She was shy at first, but then warmed up to Egeria, revealing a gentle sense of humor that the Tok'ra queen enjoyed.

The last woman that Egeria met was Biana. Dark-skinned, with deep eyes that were almost black, she loved to talk, sharing that trait with Arria. She was also the most intelligent of the three.

As Egeria thought about the three women while sitting in the quarters that had been given to her, she could not make up her mind which one to choose. Each had things about them that she liked and disliked. It was very important for her to pick the right one, for she would be bound with them in the most intimate of relationships for the next two hundred years or more.

This was the first time that Egeria had ever been given a choice of hosts based upon their personality. Her first host was among a group of women presented to her, and it had only been their physical appearance by which she judged them. With Arria there had been no choice at all, it being a matter of life and death.

After another hour had passed with her still being unable to make up her mind, Egeria decided that she needed to watch the women interacting with others. She called both Selmak and Aranae to come join her and the three women. Over the next hour and a half they all talked, the two Tok'ra switching from symbiote to host several times.

Afterwards, Egeria asked for the opinions of her two children and their hosts. Those opinions varied. Aranae liked Suri best, whereas Fiala preferred Biana. Both Selmak and Jacob liked Calee the most, though Jacob also admired Suri's strong will.

Egeria let out a sigh. "I do not know which to choose."

Aranae studied the look on her face. "May I say something?"

"Yes, of course."

"Could it be that the reason why you're having such a hard time choosing is that you really do not want to choose any of them?"

Egeria frowned. "They are all fine women, each having qualities I admire and respect. I know that, no matter which of them I choose, I will come to appreciate her as a host. Why would I reject them?"

"That is not what I meant, Mother. I meant that you do not want to pick any of them because you know that, as a symbiote within a host, you cannot be with Daniel."

"Aranae," Selmak barked, angry at her for her comment.

They both watched as Egeria's gaze fell to the ground. The woman's eyes closed, and she drew in a deep breath.

"She is right," she said in a low voice. "I am hesitating to select one because it brings me one step closer to having to give up my dream of being with Daniel." She lifted her eyes to Aranae. "Thank you for making me see that. It is time for me to stop this foolishness and do what must be done." She got to her feet. "Now, if you will excuse me, I wish to talk to them individually one last time before I make my choice." Head held high, she walked out of the room.

"Why did you do that?" Selmak asked his sibling, still angry.

"She needed to hear it, Selmak. You know that as well as I do. Every one of us has had to make sacrifices in our lives. She's made more than all the rest of us put together. I wish that she did not have to make another, but there is no other choice."

Selmak released a sigh. "I know."

* * *

In the end, Egeria picked Calee, the gentle strength of the woman's spirit reminding her of Daniel. She was certain that he would like her.

She and Jacob returned to Earth the next morning. A short while later in his office, she told Daniel about the woman who would be her new host, sharing some of the personal things she'd learned about Calee's life.

"She sounds like she's very nice," he said.

Egeria nodded. "I know that you will like her and that she will like you."

Daniel stared at the floor between his feet. "Thor contacted us just before you and Jacob got back. They're making good strides. He, um, said that they'll likely be ready to do the cloning and transference tomorrow."

Egeria felt her heart make a painful little thump in her chest. Tomorrow she would be a symbiote once again. Tomorrow her new life would begin.

Tomorrow she and Daniel would say goodbye.

Egeria reached out and grasped his hand. "Please, Daniel," she said in a voice that trembled. "I want to spend this day with you."

He met her eyes for a long moment, then nodded.

After getting permission from General Hammond, Daniel took Egeria into town. They went to a park, where they took a long walk, looking at the people they passed, watching the mothers and their children. When they got to the playground, Daniel coaxed Egeria onto one of the swings. At first, she wasn't sure if she liked it, but then she began to enjoy it. Her laughter both pleased and hurt Daniel.

For lunch they had hotdogs, followed by ice cream sundaes. Egeria had never in her life eaten anything like ice cream and thought it was wonderful – that is until she took several bites too fast and got an ice cream headache.

After lunch, Daniel took Egeria to the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, where they stayed until closing time. After that, they went to an arcade, which absolutely fascinated the Tok'ra queen. Daniel taught her how to play air hockey, and the two of them had a ball.

"Is this what real hockey is like?" she asked after their third game.

"Take away the pretty lights and add lots of ice, a bunch of guys with anger management issues, and a screaming crowd, and, sure, it's just like it."

"Perhaps I would like it after all, then."

"Oh, don't let Jack hear you say that. He'd have you at a game faster than you could blink. Well, he would if it was hockey season."

No sooner had he said the words when it occurred to him that such a thing would not be possible anyway since Egeria would no longer be here.

The sun was sinking toward the horizon when they returned to the base. They went up to the top of the mountain and found a fallen tree to sit on. They stared up at the sky as the clouds became shaded with pinks and purples. There were so many things that Daniel wanted to say, but he was afraid that, if he spoke, he wouldn't be able to hide how much he didn't want tomorrow to come. He knew that this is what had to be, that the future of the Tok'ra depended upon Egeria, but all he could think about right now was that they were going to have to say goodbye again. It wouldn't be forever since he would see her occasionally, but he didn't want to see her just once in a while. He wanted to see her every day for the rest of his life.

Just then, Egeria spoke. "I do not want tomorrow to come," she said, echoing his thoughts.

Daniel gave a soft sigh. "Neither do I."

She turned to him, and he saw that there were tears in her eyes. "I will miss you so very much."

"I'll miss you, too. But we'll see each other again, Egeria. Maybe not for a while, but. . . ." His gaze fell away from hers as an ache began in his throat.

Egeria closed her eyes tightly against the tears threatening to fall. She had a duty to fulfill, and to fulfill it, she would have to sacrifice the thing that she wanted more than anything else in the universe, more even than the destruction of the Goa'uld.

When did her desire to share the rest of her life with Daniel become more important to her even that the downfall of her enemy? Was it when she awoke in the base infirmary and held him in her arms for the first time in over two thousand years? Was it when he shared with her the story of his life? Or could it have been something that gradually happened over the course of these precious days spent with him? Whenever the moment was that it happened, Egeria knew that, if it was only her own fate that would be affected, she would choose to stay here with Daniel.

Daniel looked at Egeria and saw that she was silently crying. He couldn't believe how much this was hurting. He wanted to stop time and keep tomorrow from coming. God, why was it that every time he came to really care about a woman, one way or another, he lost her? Was he cursed? He was beginning to think that maybe he was.

Suddenly, Egeria threw her arms around him. He pulled her tight against him as her tears wet his shirt. Then, equally as suddenly, she broke away from him, jumped to her feet, and hurried away. Remaining where he was, Daniel lowered his head into his hands.

The evening was passing into twilight when Daniel became aware that he was no longer alone. He dropped his hands, but did not look up as Sam sat beside him.

"I just saw Egeria," she said. "She's really upset."

"Yeah."

Sam studied his profile. "How are _you_ doing?"

"It hurts," Daniel admitted. "I've known right from the start that this was going to happen, that she couldn't stay here, but that isn't making it any easier."

Sam rested her hand on his arm. "I'm so sorry, Daniel. I wish there was a way that she could stay."

Daniel closed his eyes for a long moment. "Have you ever felt like you were cursed, Sam?"

"In what way?"

"Every time in my life when I've met a woman who really came to mean a lot to me, I've lost her in one way or another."

Sam stared at him. Did his words mean what they sounded like they did?

In the next moment, Daniel answered her unspoken question.

"I've fallen in love with her, Sam," he confessed in little more than a whisper, fighting not to cry. "I tried so hard not to. I kept telling myself that I couldn't feel this way. But I couldn't stop it from happening."

Sam felt tears sting her eyes. She didn't know what to say. What _could_ she say? Once again, Daniel was losing the woman he loved. Unlike Sha're, he'd probably see her again from time to time, but, in a way, that might be worse than if he never saw her again. How much would it hurt every time they said goodbye?

"I, um . . . I really need to be alone right now," Daniel said, his voice trembling.

Unable to hold the tears in any longer, Sam pulled him into a hug. He clung to her for a long moment. Then he got up and walked away down the path.

Wiping the wetness from her face, Sam stood and went back inside.

* * *

"So, you're all ready to make a Tok'ra queen, Thor?" Jack asked when the Asgard arrived the next morning.

"Yes, O'Neill. I would advise that I also do the transference of Egeria's consciousness with the facilities onboard my ship rather than using the Talthusian active matrix module."

Sam nodded. "Good idea. I trust your equipment more than I do it."

The Tok'ra were contacted, and the SGC was told that someone would come through shortly. As they waited, Thor beamed onboard his ship the cryogenic chamber with Ria's stored consciousness and transferred the contents of the matrix module to his ship's computer.

The Tok'ra who arrived through the Stargate turned out to be Delek and Ellan. They came up to the briefing room, where the others were gathered.

"This is a glorious day for the Tok'ra," the scientist said with a smile.

The man's words made Sam look over at Egeria. She was trying to look happy, but the major could see the pain in her eyes. Sam's gaze then went to Daniel, who had just arrived. His eyes were turned to the floor, and he was hugging himself. It really hurt to see him doing that. He hadn't done that in years.

Sam wasn't the only one to notice Daniel's demeanor. A frown came to Jack's face as he stared at his best friend. Damn. He'd been worried that Daniel's feelings for Egeria were growing into a hell of a lot more than just friendship, and, now, he was certain of it.

"What of the host?" General Hammond asked, drawing Jack's attention away from the archeologist.

"She is waiting at the base," Delek replied. "The blending will take place there." He lifted the container he was carrying. "Egeria will be placed in this for the short time that it takes us to return there."

"If you are ready, I will beam all those who wish to be present onboard my ship now," Thor said.

"That would be me, Delek and Ellan," Jacob responded. He glanced about at the members of the SGC. "Anybody else want to come?"

"Thanks but no thanks," Jack replied.

"I think I'll pass, too," said Sam.

"As will I," stated Teal'c.

His eyes not really meeting anyone's, Daniel said in an emotionless voice, "I, um, have some things that I need to take care of."

Jacob looked more closely at the archeologist. He'd already known that this moment was going to hurt Egeria, but it looked like it was hurting Daniel just as much. Had the poor guy fallen in love with her?

Knowing that this was the last moment that he would see Egeria in Ria's body, Daniel finally looked at her. Her eyes met his for a brief moment . . . and then she was gone, beamed away with Thor and the three Tok'ra.

Desperately needing to be alone, Daniel excused himself, fleeing to his office. He shut the door behind him, something he rarely did. As he sat down, he took a deep breath, trying to get control of his emotions. This wasn't really goodbye yet. In a couple of days, he and his teammates would be going to the Tok'ra base to see how things were going with Egeria and her new host. During those two days, he'd really have to make an effort to get a handle on his emotions. He needed to be able to smile at Egeria and her host and not look like he was going to a funeral.

When a knock came on the door around ten minutes later, Daniel considered pretending that he wasn't there. Knowing that wouldn't work, he got up and opened the door. Seeing that it was Jack, he let out an inaudible sigh.

"I'm really busy, Jack," he lied.

"I'm sure that whatever you're doing can wait," responded the grey-haired man as he stepped inside the room.

Hesitating a moment, Daniel returned to his desk and sat down.

"You fell for her, didn't you," Jack said bluntly. "Don't even try to deny it, Daniel."

The archeologist said nothing, simply staring down at an artifact on his desk.

"I guess I really can't blame you. She's quite a lady." Still getting no reply, Jack decided that a softer approach was in order. "I'm sorry, Daniel. I know this must be hurting a lot."

Daniel's gaze left the statue and drifted off to some point across the room. "I guess it's a good thing that I'm used to that."

"I wish you weren't. I wish that you hadn't gone through so much crap that you're actually used to hurting. It shouldn't be that way." Jack stared at his friend for a few seconds. "You need to get out of here, Daniel."

The archeologist turned to his computer. "No, I need to work."

"No, Daniel, not this time. I want you to go home. I'll make it an order, if I have to."

Daniel drew in a deep breath and let it out in a sigh, nodding slightly. Jack was right. He needed to leave, to be someplace where he was completely alone.

Getting to his feet, Daniel started to walk past Jack. He was stopped by the man's hand on his arm. He finally met Jack's eyes. In the coffee-brown depths he saw a look of understanding and sorrow.

Telling Jack with his eyes that he was grateful for the support, Daniel turned and walked out of the office.

* * *

Egeria stared at the form inside the tank. Unmoving and silent, the symbiote was still in the larval stage, but it was maturing with shocking speed. Even as she watched, the crest on its head began to form, the wings taking shape. It was quite clearly a queen, much larger than a normal symbiote at that age. Egeria found it more than a little strange to think about the fact that this symbiote was her, or, rather, a copy of her body.

Egeria glanced at the others in the room. Selmak, Delek and Ellan were all talking with Thor, who was explaining in detail the cloning and growth acceleration process. She was grateful for this since it was giving her a moment of relative privacy to gain control of her emotions.

Emotions. There had been a time when she could have pushed them aside and done what needed to be done without anyone having a clue about how she felt. But that was before she met a man named Daniel Jackson and fell so deeply in love with him that all the walls inside her heart came tumbling down. She had put some of those walls back up after he left, but these days with him had torn them right back down. She would now have to rebuild them yet again. She knew that she could do it. It would just take time.

Laying her hand on the tank, she thought about the days and years ahead. Once the transference was complete and she was blended with her new host, the base that would be her home would be created. A planet had already been chosen, one that had no Naquadah nor anything else that would interest the Goa'uld, as were all the planets chosen for Tok'ra bases. A team was already there setting up the sensors and other devices that would help protect her and the others who would live there. Her companions on the planet would be twenty-five Tok'ra hand-picked by the High Council. Each one was sworn to protect her with their lives.

Soon after settling on the planet, she would begin her first spawning cycle in her new body. Since they could not be sure how many Jaffa they would be able to get to carry the larvae, she would produce only a few hundred this first time around. Once they were mature and the Tok'ra had a better idea on how many Jaffa they could count on to carry her offspring, she would spawn more. For the next couple of decades, the majority of her life would be spent in spawning and teaching.

Once the ranks of the Tok'ra had been increased enough to substantially strengthen them, Egeria intended to take what the people of Earth would call a vacation. She wanted to see how the galaxy had changed in the centuries that had passed since she'd had a chance to see any of it. She knew that her children would not be happy about that, but she would insist.

One place she would _not_ go was Earth. She had made the decision that there would have to come a day when she and Daniel said goodbye for good. How could she bury this love for him away someplace deep in her heart when, every time she saw him, it would rise back up stronger than ever? No, it had to end. She had to distance herself from him. It was the only way that she would be able to ease this terrible ache inside her.

Egeria was startled by a hand laid upon her shoulder. She looked up into the eyes of Selmak.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

Egeria did not reply for a couple of seconds. "I would say yes, but I do not wish to lie."

"I'm sorry, Egeria. I know this is not easy for you. I guess all I can really say is how much it will mean to the Tok'ra. We had accepted the fact that we were a dying race, that there would come a day when the Tok'ra would be gone. But, now, all that is changed."

Egeria nodded. "Yes. I am glad that I will be able to give birth to children who will carry on the legacy of the Tok'ra. It is, indeed, a glorious day for our people, as Ellan said."

Selmak looked at her, wishing that it was a glorious day for her as well.

They were called over to the others.

"Your body has almost reached full maturation," Thor told Egeria. "I can now upload your consciousness into the ship's computer." He told her to lie upon a table that stood a few yards away.

As Egeria approached the table, each step felt harder to take than the last, her mind telling her that she must move forward as her heart cried out a resounding "No!" As she came to a stop before it, she just stared at it, the thing that would forever destroy any hope of being with Daniel as she wanted to be. She closed her eyes. She needed to do this. There was no other choice. There was no other queen who could assume the duty of spawning new Tok'ra.

Suddenly, a thought leapt into Egeria's mind, alighting her with hope. She turned back around.

"What is wrong?" Delek asked.

"I cannot do this," she replied. "Long ago, I made a vow to do all I could to end the reign of the Goa'uld. You and all my other children have been carrying on that vow, and I know that you will continue to do so." She pointed at the tank. "There lies your future, what will enable you to grow strong and numerous again." She placed her hand over her chest. "But that is no longer what I am. I can no longer be your queen. I know in my heart that my future lies along a different path now."

"But how can it be our queen without your consciousness in it?" Ellan asked, clearly upset. "It is nothing but a body without you."

Egeria shook her head. "No, Ellan. I will help you select someone who can take my place, a Tok'ra worthy of taking on the mantle of queen."

"Are you suggesting that we put another Tok'ra's consciousness into your cloned body?" Selmak asked.

Egeria nodded. "It would take some time for them to become familiar with their new body, to learn its differences, but I am confident that it could be done. I will teach them what they need to know." She looked at Ellan and Delek and gave them a smile. "Then you will have a new queen, one who will give the Tok'ra many children."

Selmak was stunned. He'd never have thought if doing this. And yet it was the perfect solution, a way for the Tok'ra to have a queen and for Egeria to have a chance at a life with Daniel.

Egeria turned to Thor. "Could this body I am in be cloned?"

"Yes, if the one to whom it belongs gave their permission."

"Then I would ask that you remove my consciousness from within it and return Ria's to it so that you may ask her. If she is not willing, then I wish for a woman to be found who is."

Delek was now frowning. "Your wish is to be human? I do not understand. As a human your life span will be so short."

"Yes, it will be short, Delek, compared to that which I would have as a symbiote, but it will be the life that I want. I know that you do not understand, that you do not know what is in my heart, but please try to accept that it is what I desire."

There was a long silence as Delek and Ellan came to terms with Egeria's decision. There was no need for Selmak to do so. He was delighted by the turn of events, as was Jacob.

"Very well," Delek said. "If this is what you want, then neither I nor any other Tok'ra have the right to refuse." He looked at Thor. "We will need to arrange for the symbiote body to be placed in stasis until a consciousness is selected for it. I am assuming that the transference will have to be done using the active matrix module since it is unlikely that you will be able to return to do it."

"I can place the body in a portable stasis unit," Thor answered. "I do not know if it will be possible for me to return to do the transference." He looked at Egeria. "If you are ready, I will upload your consciousness into the computer. If Ria refuses to allow the cloning, I will then place your consciousness in the active matrix module so that it may be stored by the Tok'ra or Stargate Command. Once a volunteer for the cloning has been found, I will return."

With a smile, Egeria nodded. "I am ready."

* * *

And there it is, the answer to the question about how I was going to work things out so that Daniel and Egeria could be together. This solution will not only accomplish that but will also result in a couple of other very good things, which will be brought up in the next chapter.

I know that some of you might have had your heart set on Daniel becoming a Tok'ra and Egeria's drug being fixed so that he could take it, use the sarcophagus, and be with her for thousands of years, but not only did I not want to go that route, there would also be a lot of negative consequences that would result from doing things that way. If you want to know what negative consequences I'm talking about, you can PM me, and I'll explain.


	13. Chapter 13

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Daniel let out a long sigh at the sound of a knock on his door. He had really been hoping that he'd be left alone today. Maybe it was just some salesman that he could shoo away.

Opening the door, Daniel saw that, unfortunately, it wasn't a salesman; it was his team.

"Hey," he said, trying to inject at least a grain of welcome in his tone.

Jack grinned. "Hey, Daniel. There's someone here who wants to say hi."

He, Sam and Teal'c all moved aside to reveal a black-haired woman standing behind them. Daniel's heart leapt in his chest upon seeing her. Then he mentally shook his head. The face might be the same, but this was not the person he really wanted her to be.

"Hi, Ria. How are you fe—"

That was as far as he got before the woman threw herself into his arms. Stunned, Daniel just stood there.

Sam was now grinning, too. "It isn't Ria, Daniel."

Just then, the woman pulled back a little. She cupped his cheek and said, "My Daniel."

Daniel gasped sharply. "Egeria? B-b-but I don't understand. What happened? Did something go wrong?"

"No, nothing is wrong," she replied with a smile of joy. "Everything is wonderfully right."

Utterly bewildered, Daniel looked to his teammates for answers.

"Come on," Jack said. "Let's go inside."

Once they were all settled in the living room, Daniel was told everything. He spent most of the time staring at Egeria in shock. She had chosen life as a human over the thousands of years that she'd have had as a Tok'ra symbiote. And she had done it so that she could be with him. She did not say that aloud, but he knew that was the reason.

Besides shock, the other emotion filing his heart was joy. He and Egeria weren't going to have to say goodbye. She was going to be staying right here. They could actually have a life together.

"According to Dad, Ria didn't hesitate to give her permission to be cloned," Sam said. "She's back on Ardena now."

Jack was smirking. "You should have seen the look that was on everyone's face when not one but two Rias came waltzing through the gate. We all thought we were seeing double."

"So, who's going to pick the new queen?" Daniel asked.

Sam was the one who answered. "It'll be Egeria's choice, which is the way it should be. Dad figures that there will probably be plenty of volunteers to choose from."

Jack looked at the green-eyed woman sitting next to Daniel. "Just don't pick someone with that holier-than-thou attitude that's made me want to punch more than one Tok'ra in the nose."

Egeria smiled. "I promise that I will choose someone with a pleasing personality."

Jack snorted. "Good luck on that."

"Jack," Daniel said in a chastising tone.

"What? Daniel, you can't deny that, with the exception of Selmak, most of the Tok'ra are ass—"

"Jack!"

"All right, I'll shut up. Just stating my opinion."

Egeria smiled ever so slightly. She then grew serious. "I must admit that I am also not pleased with the attitude displayed by some of my children. I taught all my children to be respectful, to never look upon themselves as superior to other lifeforms. Many of those who lived with me on Estrania learned the lesson, but I am afraid that arrogance was a Goa'uld trait that I could not completely banish from all my offspring." She smiled again. "But then, I have been guilty of it myself, so I am in no position to judge them."

"Hey," Jack said. "We all forgot to show Daniel the other surprise."

The archeologist looked at him, then the others. "Other surprise?"

Jack picked up a magazine from Daniel's coffee table and handed it to Egeria. With a little smile on her face, she opened it up – and began to read it.

His mouth hanging open, Daniel stared at her. He finally managed to ask how it was possible.

"Thor did it," Sam replied. "He downloaded into Egeria's mind the knowledge of both spoken and written English."

"He can do that?"

"Yes, he can do that," Jack answered. "And don't start thinking that you can ask him to download a gazillion languages into your brain. These were special circumstances."

"Yeah, but—"

"Aht! No language downloads, not unless it's quite literally a matter of life and death."

Daniel sighed, giving up on his extremely brief dream of being able to add another dozen or so languages to the list of the ones he knew.

Jack began to smile. "You know what I'm thinking? I think that this calls for a celebration." He looked at Egeria. "How would you like to experience your very first barbeque?"

"Barbeque?"

"Yep, you'll love it. We'll have to go to my house, though. That cretin sitting beside you doesn't have a grill."

"There is a very good reason for that, Jack," the "cretin" responded. "I didn't want you coming over here and cooking beer-soaked steaks on it."

"Hey. I do not soak my steaks in beer. I just . . . pour a little on top."

The five of them headed over to Jack's house. Never unprepared for a good barbeque, all Jack needed to get were a few more steaks. While he and Teal'c were at the store, Daniel, Sam and Egeria enjoyed the nice weather outside.

Egeria was using the bathroom when Sam sat down in a lawn chair beside Daniel's.

"You look happy," she observed with a smile.

"Yeah. I could not have hoped for this. A part of me still can't believe it."

"You know, in a way, this will work out a whole lot better for the Tok'ra."

Daniel nodded, suspecting that he knew what she was thinking. He'd been thinking the same thing. "Another Tok'ra inside Egeria's body won't have all the Goa'uld knowledge, which means that she won't have to lower her brainwave pattern every time she spawns and then spend years teaching them what they need to know."

"Right. Every larva she gives birth to will get all the Tok'ra knowledge. They will actually be Tok'ra right from birth."

Daniel thought of something else. "And, because she won't have to keep her brainwave pattern low, she'll be able to produce queens, so the Tok'ra will never again have to worry about going extinct."

"This galaxy will see many generations of Tok'ra in the millennia ahead," said a voice behind them. They turned to see Egeria come up to them. She took a seat in the chair on the other side of Daniel. "I know that some among the Tok'ra will never understand why I have made this decision, but they will come to see that it is a good thing. Their new queen will be able to give them something I never could."

"When are you going to go to the Tok'ra base and choose your replacement?" Daniel asked.

"Tomorrow. It is best that it be done as soon as possible." Egeria smiled at him. "I would very much like for you to be there. I respect your advice and would like to hear your opinions."

Daniel shook his head. "I can go with you to the base, Egeria, but you need to decide on this yourself. These are your people and your children."

It turned out that Jack was right. Egeria did love the barbeque, partly because the colonel's teammates managed to keep him from putting beer on any of the steaks except his own.

The celebration continued well into the evening. Lying on the cool grass, Daniel looked up at the stars, Egeria beside him. She was sharing with him stories of how some of the constellations got their names.

"I always wondered about Ursa Major and Minor," he said, "even when I was a little kid. When my mom told me that they were supposed to be bears, I quite logically pointed out that bears don't have long tails."

Egeria laughed softly. "How old were you?"

"Um, around four, I think."

"You must have been such a darling child."

"Oh, I don't know about that. I got into a lot of trouble because I was so curious about everything. I think I gave both Mom and Dad grey hairs . . . which would not surprise Jack at all since he blames me for all his grey hair. It was brown when we met."

They both fell silent, Egeria resting her head on Daniel's shoulder. After a while, he heard her breathing change pitch. He looked at her and saw that she was asleep. Smiling softly, he brushed his fingers through her hair, sweeping back a tendril that had fallen over her forehead.

Teal'c watched from where he stood on the deck, recognizing the expression on his teammate's face.

"Daniel Jackson has found love again," he murmured quietly to the man beside him.

"Yeah," Jack agreed. "Who'd have ever guessed that, when he did, it would be for a former Goa'uld queen?"

"Do you not approve?"

"Actually, I _do_ approve. Okay, so, in the beginning, I did have a problem with what she was, but I'm a big enough man to admit when I'm wrong about someone. She's a great lady, and, now that everything's been worked out so that she can stay, I think that she'll make Daniel happy."

"Indeed."

* * *

Shortly after Egeria's return to the SGC, she was called to the infirmary.

"I'm glad you got back early enough for me to talk with you," Janet said. "I'm going to assume that everything went fine with cloning that body and transferring your consciousness into it."

"Yes, there were no problems."

"And you're feeling all right?"

"I am quite well."

"Though I know that it hasn't been discussed yet, I'm guessing that you will be working here in a permanent position now."

"That is what I wish."

"Then I have no doubt that will happen. Though I'm sure that you are perfectly healthy, sooner or later, we are going to have to give you a complete physical examination. Even if it wasn't regulations for all new military and civilian personnel to be given one, it would still be wise."

"Then please feel free to do the examination."

"Well, we wouldn't have to do it now. It can wait a day or two."

"I will be leaving for the Tok'ra base tomorrow and will likely be gone for several days, perhaps even several weeks. Would it not be wise to do your examination before I leave?"

Janet nodded. "Yes, it would. In that case, let's get started."

Though it would take a while to get the results back on the blood tests, from what Janet could see, Egeria was in excellent health for a woman her age. Ria was thirty years old at the time she was cloned, so that was the age to which Thor would have advanced the clone. Considering that, for all intents and purposes, Egeria's body was brand new, it was no great surprise that she was healthy, though there was always the chance that some family genetic issue existed. Or would Thor have fixed any genetic anomalies when he did the cloning?

Janet was now putting together what she liked to think of as the Woman's Survival Kit, which contained some feminine hygiene items as well as other things, including, most important of all, birth control pills. She'd have to talk to Egeria sometime about the other options available to her. It was pretty unlikely that she knew anything about ordinary methods of birth control.

The doctor had a sneaking suspicion that the birth control might be needed in the future. She had not failed to see the way that Egeria looked at Daniel, and she also knew that he had spent a great deal of time with the woman since she arrived.

Nurse Sally Cole came up to the physician. "Sergeant Bates was just brought in, second degree burns on his right arm."

"All right. I'll be there in a moment." She handed the box to the nurse. "Could you take this to Egeria and explain everything to her? She's not going to have a clue about most of these things, so make sure that she understands how to use them."

Sally saw the birth control pills sitting on top. "I was talking to Annette Reed a few days ago. She was in the commissary and saw Daniel and Egeria having breakfast. Jacob Carter was there, too. I guess it was on the day that Egeria first arrived. She said that the way Egeria was staring at Daniel it was like she wanted to just eat him up."

Janet smiled slightly, thinking that was exactly the kind of thing that Lieutenant Reed would say.

"So, do you think that they'll start dating?" Sally asked.

"That I can't say. I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

* * *

The next morning, Egeria left for the Tok'ra base. An urgent translation job had come up, preventing Daniel from coming with her, so she went alone. She was met on the other side by Selmak.

"Have my children come to accept my decision?" she asked as they walked to the tunnel entrance.

"Some of them are still not happy, but, after I pointed out a few things, they all admitted that this would have many advantages."

Egeria learned that the things he pointed out to them were the same things that Daniel and Sam talked about yesterday.

"You need to be aware that most of them want you to stay with us even if you are not a Tok'ra," he said. "I think it would be best if you talk to them about that and everything else."

"Yes, you are right. So, how many of my children have volunteered to become your new queen?"

"Around thirty, by my last count."

"Then I have quite a task ahead of me in making my selection."

A little smile curved Selmak's lips. "Perhaps."

Jacob and Egeria went to the meeting room. All of the other council members were there, except for Aranae and Bres En. Though Ka'resh and Celdeth greeted Egeria warmly, Fennol's and Delek's greetings were a bit reserved.

"I know that most of you do not understand why I have chosen to take the steps that I have," Egeria said after taking a seat. "Please believe me that it is not because of you. I could not be prouder of you and what all of you have achieved. My decision was not an act of rejection."

"Then what was it?" Fennol asked, frowning.

"The act of a woman who is in love."

The simple statement made everyone except Selmak exchange glances. As for Selmak, he gave Egeria a small smile and a nod, approving of her complete honesty.

"You speak of Daniel Jackson," Celdeth said.

"Yes," Egeria confirmed. "I have loved him for over two thousand years. Even after I was certain he was dead from old age, I loved him still. Being reunited with him has made that love grow even stronger. When I believed that there was no other option but to become a symbiote again and give up any hope of a life with Daniel, I was prepared to make that sacrifice for the sake of my children. But when I realized that there was another way, that the Tok'ra could have a queen without the sacrifice of what I wanted so dearly, I had to take it. I hope that all of you can understand this and accept my decision."

There was a long moment of silence. Ka'resh was the one who spoke first.

"One of the things that separates us from the Goa'uld is our capacity to truly feel love, the kind of love that will drive one to sacrifice their life for the one they love. So I cannot condemn you for your decision. You have sacrificed a great deal in your fight against the Goa'uld. It is time for you to be given something back." She looked at her fellow council members. "Do you not agree?"

The others nodded their heads, although Fennol still didn't look particularly happy. That didn't surprise Selmak. Out of all of the council members, he was the one with the lowest opinion of the Tau'ri. He probably thought that Egeria was lowering herself by choosing a life with a human instead of with the Tok'ra.

"Please let my other children know what I have told you," Egeria said. "I want them all to understand my decision."

Delek nodded. "We will do so. Now, if you will excuse us, we will leave you to speak with those who have volunteered to take your place."

He and the others left the room, all except for Selmak, who had a funny little smile on his face.

Egeria stared at him piercingly. "There is something you have not told me."

Saying nothing, he got up and went to the doorway. He motioned to someone, and the person came in.

"Aranae?" queried Egeria.

The council member came forward. "I am the first volunteer."

Egeria's eyes widened. "You would wish to be the Tok'ras' queen?"

The woman sat down. "If you believe that I am worthy."

Egeria glanced up and saw that Selmak was gone, having left them alone to talk. She turned her attention back to Aranae.

"But you will no longer be able to go on missions. I recall how eager you always were to go out and creep around behind the backs of the Goa'uld to discover their secrets."

"That was a long time ago, when I was young and headstrong." Aranae smiled. "I am an old and wise Tok'ra now, though Selmak still insists that he is the eldest. Like being born a few seconds sooner makes a bit of difference."

Egeria smiled as well, recalling how the two used to tease each other. They and Per'sus were always her favorites. Thinking about Per'sus sent a tinge of sadness through her that he had not lived to see this day.

Pushing aside her sorrow, Egeria asked, "And what of Fiala?"

Aranae's head bowed for a brief moment. When it lifted, her host was in control.

"I am prepared to still be Aranae's host," the young woman said, her pretty face reflecting her sincerity.

"She has explained to you the physical changes that must be made to your body, that it will be impossible afterwards for you to have children of your own even if, someday, you were no longer a host?"

"Yes. When I chose to become a Tok'ra host, I knew it meant that I could never marry and have children of my own, so nothing would change in that regard. But it _would_ mean that Aranae and I could have children together."

Another smile came to Egeria's lips. Arria had looked upon the Tok'ra born with Daniel's DNA as her children, too. She was pleased that Fiala felt the same way.

Egeria took the hands of the woman sitting before her. "Aranae, Fiala, I need look no further. You will be the new queen and mother of the Tok'ra."

The blonde head bowed again for a moment.

"But what of the other volunteers?" Aranae asked. "You might find that one of them is better suited to the task."

"I will speak with them. It is only fair and right that I do so. But I do not think that any of them will surpass you in the kind of person I want to take my place."

* * *

Egeria gazed down at the unconscious form of Fiala. Ta'seem had assured them that she was doing well, but the process of having one symbiote leave her body, then, just a couple of hours later, another one enter it had been physically taxing on her. But she was strong, just as Aranae was.

The former queen of the Tok'ra smiled as she thought of what the upcoming days would bring, the discoveries Aranae would make in her new symbiote body. Egeria would remain here to teach her, to point out all the differences and guide her into learning how to control the power that only a symbiote queen possesses.

Selmak came up to her and looked down at the woman on the bed. "She is going to be absolutely insufferable now," he complained.

Egeria looked at him. "Admit that you are going to miss her."

"Yes, I'll miss her. Who will I tease now? She was the only one who could serve it back to me as good as she got."

"I am sure you will be able to visit her every now and then, and she will be able to come here for visits. She will have no need to remain near her children in order to teach them as I would have had to do. She will have a level of freedom that I never could have had, especially after she has produced a queen, and her daughter is old enough to spawn children of her own."

"I understand that it was agreed by everyone that the Jaffa who carry the larvae will not have to remain at the base after all since it won't be necessary to teach the larvae."

Egeria nodded. "This means that both male and female Jaffa can carry them, although I would always be afraid for the safety of the ones who were inside male Jaffa. I should imagine that many rebel Jaffa are killed."

"Yes, it is a danger. We will probably still try to use mostly females."

Leaving Aranae and Fiala to rest, Egeria and Selmak walked out of the room.

"After you have finished teaching Aranae what she needs to know, you will be returning to Earth," Selmak said. "So, then what?"

"Then I will resume passing on my knowledge to Daniel's people."

"And?"

"I do not know what will come after that. My wish is to be a part of their Stargate Program, to work there at the SGC. I believe that I would have a great deal to contribute. Though I am no longer the queen of the Tok'ra, I have every intention of continuing to do what I can to bring about an end to the Goa'uld."

"I am sure that they will be happy to have you, but that was not what I was asking. I was asking about you and Daniel."

"Ah. That I also do not know. You know what it is that I want, but that will only happen if Daniel comes to love me as I love him."

Selmak was very tempted to tell Egeria that he and Jacob were pretty sure that Daniel already did love her like that, but he decided that it was not his place to do so. Those words needed to come from Daniel himself.

* * *

"You are doing well," Egeria praised, smiling at Aranae. They were in the fourth day of training, and, so far, the new Tok'ra queen was readily adapting and learning about her new body. Egeria was confident that it would take no more than a few more days to complete the training.

The next step would be to teach Aranae how to pass on her knowledge to her offspring. For a symbiote who was born a queen, it was an instinctual thing, but for Aranae, it would have to be taught. In time, it would become second nature to her.

Slowly and patiently, Egeria guided Aranae to the mental state in which she needed to be in order to pass on the knowledge.

"If there were children within you, you would now begin to feel the connection to them," Egeria said. "Once that connection felt complete, you would then open your mind and let all the knowledge within it flow into the minds of your offspring. It would take only moments for it to be completed. When it is—"

A gasp interrupted Egeria. Aranae's eyes flew open, filled with surprise.

"What is wrong?" the former Tok'ra queen asked.

Aranae looked at her. "I remember. It is all there in my mind."

"Of what do you speak?"

Aranae gazed at her. "The memories of you and Daniel."

Now, it was Egeria who gasped. "You consciously remember them?"

"Yes! They were just suddenly there."

"They must have been released from your subconscious."

Aranae fell silent, her eyes closing as she searched through the memories that were not her own. She saw the conversations that Daniel and Egeria had, the times they spent together as their friendship was forged. Into her mind came the words Daniel spoke as he guided Egeria toward becoming a Tok'ra. She saw his reaction to being asked to give the code of life and heard his heartbreaking confession about Hathor. Her stomach tightened as she saw his lifeless body lying in a pool of blood, then came the joyful sight of him alive once again. The memories stopped shortly after that, not including the moment that he gave his seed to Egeria. Aranae did not wonder about that. Such a thing would have been too intimate to share even in a way that Egeria had believed would never be consciously remembered.

But it did not matter that the memories were incomplete, for what _was_ there was more than enough for Aranae to see why Daniel Jackson had become so precious to Egeria, why she thought so very highly of him. And it was enough to show how utterly Egeria loved him.

Opening her eyes, Aranae looked at her mother. "I truly understand now."

Egeria smiled. "Yes."

"It is no mystery why you fell in love with him."

Egeria laughed very softly. "No mystery at all."

"I will pass these memories onto my children so that they'll all learn from them."

"Oh, poor Daniel would be quite horrified."

Aranae chuckled. "Well, perhaps I will edit out the most private things. You will be able to teach me how to do that, won't you?"

"Yes."

"Good. I want my children to have the memories of how their race came to be and of the ones who are to thank for their existence."

* * *

Egeria smiled as she gazed into the tank that held the first symbiotes to truly be born Tok'ra. She had guided Aranae through the entire process from beginning to end and had watched joyfully as the tiny larvae emerged from the body of their mother.

The former Tok'ra queen's gaze went to the woman beside her. Aranae was staring at the larvae almost as if she couldn't believe they were real.

"My children," the new queen murmured.

"Yes. Though your body may be a clone of mine, they are your children. They will come to call you Mother."

Aranae laughed. "I did not think that I would feel so happy at this moment." She looked at Egeria. "Is this how you felt when you gave birth to the first Tok'ra?"

"In a way." She sighed. "But that day was also one of great sorrow for me. It was the day I said goodbye to Daniel."

Aranae grasped her hand, truly understanding now how great Egeria's pain must have been.

"But enough about that," Egeria said with a smile. "Tell me about this Tok'ra you chose to give you the code. You did not tell me before that there was someone you cared for in that way."

Aranae blushed slightly. "We have not been involved in that way for long, only a couple of years, though I have been attracted to him for much longer . . . ever since Fiala became my host."

"Ah hah! So the truth is revealed. Your new host takes one look at Nefer and his very handsome host, Threnn, and topples straight into love. And, of course, you go falling right along with her."

"Well . . . I did notice his handsomeness before then, Mother. I am old, not dead."

Egeria laughed in delight. "And will Nefer's host be the one to give you the code for all your children for as long as he is physically able?"

"I would very much like him to be. I will insists that he be added to the Tok'ra who will live on the base with me. I have already talked to him about it. Threnn was very pleased and proud that his genetic code would be used for the new Tok'ra larvae. And they were both . . . quite eager to perform the steps needed to give it to me."

Egeria laughed again. "Yes, I do believe that I saw him strutting around like a peacock earlier."

"Oh, you did not. He does not strut."

"Well, perhaps it was just a _little_ strutting. Threnn was most likely the one in control at the time."

Aranae grew serious. "And what of you and Daniel? When you return to Earth, will he become your mate?"

"I truly hope so."

* * *

There was a big smile on Daniel's face as Egeria appeared through the event horizon. He had missed her like crazy during the ten days that she was gone. Not an hour went by that he didn't think of her.

"Welcome back, Egeria," General Hammond greeted. "I trust that everything went well."

"Yes, it went quite well."

"Good. I'd like to be filled in on everything, if you don't mind."

"I will be happy to do so, General."

Hammond nodded. "I will see you in the briefing room in an hour, if that will work for you."

"That will be good."

Daniel and Egeria walked out of the gate room.

"So, who did you pick?" the archeologist asked.

"Aranae."

"Really? Good. I like her . . . even if she did have fun calling me you-know-what."

"Well, it would be even less accurate for her to call you that now since her new body does not possess your genetic code."

"Yes, but how much do you want to bet that she will anyway?"

Egeria thought about it. "I do believe that I would be willing to bet quite a sizable sum that she will."

One hour later, Egeria was in the briefing room with Hammond. Also there were all the members of SG-1. Egeria gave everyone a rundown of the events of the past ten days.

"She's already spawned?" Sam asked in surprise.

"Yes, but only a few larvae since we have not yet found Jaffa to carry them."

"I will talk to Master Bra'tac so that he can find Jaffa in the rebellion who would be willing to do so," Teal'c said.

"We would prefer them to be females," Egeria told him. "The larvae will be safer, less likely to be killed in a battle."

"Good idea," Daniel said.

A few minutes later, the debriefing ended. SG-1 and Egeria went to Daniel's office.

"Are the Tok'ra happy now with the arrangement?" Sam asked the former Tok'ra.

"I believe that they are. With Aranae as their queen, everything will be simpler, and she will be able to produce more offspring since training them will not be an issue."

"So, Daniel," Jack said with a little smirk. "Does this mean that you're a grandfather now?"

The archeologist stared narrowly at Jack for several seconds, then he turned to the dark-haired woman beside him.

"Egeria, let me tell you a funny story about Jack, some alien beer, and a cute little one-hundred-and-ten-year-old great-great-grandmother named—"

"All right!" Jack shouted. "I get the message. No more Tok'ra daddy wisecracks."

Daniel nodded sharply. "I am holding you to that, Jack, so if I hear one more remark about it, or the stories about me, or the statues, or anything else connected to my trip back in time, I will be posting the whole story about you and Great-Great-Grandma Meeka on the base bulletin board. Oh, and one more thing. I will be keeping the video in reserve."

A look of horror spread across Jack's face. "You took a video?"

"Oh, you bet I did. There was no way I was going to pass up that golden opportunity."

Jack glared at the archeologist, knowing that he had well and truly been beaten.

Squashing her smile with an effort, Sam turned to Egeria. "So, I'm assuming that you haven't talked to General Hammond yet about your position here."

"No, there has not been an opportunity yet."

"Well, you don't have to," Daniel said. "I already have. He wholeheartedly agrees that you would be a valuable asset as a full-time employee of Stargate Command. You're an expert on the Goa'uld and can read and write all of the dialects of their language. You'll be able to give us insights that can help us plan missions, and you can help with translations."

Egeria smiled brightly. "This is wonderful news."

"Yeah, and you'll get paid for it, too," Jack added.

"There is one thing, though," Daniel told her. "For the present time, you'll have to live on base. I'm sure that will change in time, but, right now, some people are nervous about letting you live off-base."

"I do not mind, Daniel. What is important is that I will be here."

* * *

Since several people made the suggestion that Daniel's consciousness should have been transferred into a symbiote body, I decided that I should explain to everyone why that wouldn't have worked. Think about the fact that they'd be transplanting a human consciousness into a completely alien body and brain, one that is far more complex in some ways than a human body. Even if Daniel could manage to learn how to control it, it would take a long time to do so, probably years, especially learning how to safely connect to the host's brain and gain control of it. Who would teach Daniel how to operate this alien body that he found himself inside? The Tok'ra sure couldn't do it. They wouldn't even know where to begin to teach a human how to control a symbiote body, which means that Daniel would have to learn on his own, by trial and error. I don't know about you, but, to me, that's a pretty scary thought. During that learning process, he could not possibly be put into a host body. It would be far too dangerous. He could accidentally kill it by doing something wrong or perhaps cause brain damage that he wouldn't know how to fix because that, too, would be something that would take quite a while to learn how to do. This could not be compared to the consciousness of a regular Tok'ra being put inside the body of a queen. Compared to this, what Aranae had to learn was child's play. And it's also not the same thing as Egeria's consciousness being downloaded into a human brain. Goa'uld and Tok'ra are already intimately familiar with the physiology of the human body and how to control it.

And then there's everyone's reaction to such a suggestion. The Tok'ra would immediately refuse, recognizing how dangerous it would be. Egeria would also not agree for that same reason. Both Sam and Jack would be grossed out. Jack would probably feel like upchucking at the mere thought of it. Janet would be adamantly against it. And as for Daniel, I can't see him liking the idea of being a symbiote, even if his host body would be his own human body, which, of course, would grow old and have to be switched for another host body in a couple hundred years.

Now, there are a whole lot of other reasons as well why this would not have been a good route to take in the story, some of which have to do with the bad things that would result from Daniel leaving the SGC, but I'm not going to go into those. Take a good look at an episode list and think about what would result from the lack of his presence at the SGC.

And, yes, Daniel would have had to leave the SGC and Earth. I know some of you might be thinking that he and Egeria could live on Earth, but do you really think that the military and government would be willing to set up some place where Egeria could spawn and raise her children considering the risks that would be involved? I really don't think they would. There's also the fact that Daniel would have to watch his friends and other people around him grow old and die, but that's a whole other discussion.


	14. Chapter 14

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The next day, they received an unexpected visit from Warrick, who wanted their help in winning a race. In exchange, he would see to it that the SGC got to study his ship's ion propulsion engine.

"How long will you be gone?" Egeria asked Daniel after he told her about the mission.

"That's hard to say. The race isn't until tomorrow, and it's several hours long, so at least two days."

"I will miss you."

Daniel smiled. "I'll miss you, too." He caught her eyes, so very tempted to kiss her. But this was most definitely not the right time for that. "Well, I need to get ready for the mission."

Egeria nodded. "I will see you off in the gate room."

Half an hour later, SG-1 was off on their mission. Egeria left the gate room, intending to go to her lab. She'd made it only a few feet down the hall, however, when she thought of something. A smile coming to her lips, she turned around and went to General Hammond's office instead.

"Egeria," he greeted with a smile. "Please come in and take a seat. How are you settling in?"

The woman settled in one of the chairs. "Very well, thank you. I am pleased to be here."

"Good. I'm glad you stopped by. There are some things we need to discuss now that you are officially a part of the Stargate Program and will be living here on Earth. For one thing, we need to set up an identity for you, birth records and other things like that. Now, I am assuming that you want to keep the name of Egeria, but we have to come up with a middle and last name for you as well."

"What is the purpose of the middle name?"

"I couldn't tell you what the original purpose was, but, here in this country, it's just an additional way to identify someone."

"I would wish, then, for my middle name to be Arria, to honor my last host."

"All right. And the last name?"

"I do not know what last names exist."

General Hammond pulled out a phone book and handed it to Egeria. She scanned through it, randomly flipping pages, looking for one she liked. She smiled when she saw the name Gates, recalling that Daniel and others here sometimes called the Stargate simply the gate.

Hammond gave a little chuckle when she told him which name she'd chosen.

They worked out the rest of the things, like Egeria's birth date, the names of her parents, where she was born, her schooling, etcetera.

"All right, I think that should do it," the general said. "We'll have all the necessary identification papers created for you."

Egeria frowned slightly. "Will I need these papers before I can leave the base again?"

"No, not as long as you're accompanied by a member of the personnel."

"Good. There is someplace, then, that I wish to go."

* * *

Egeria smiled down at the two items lying on the bed. She stroked the green material of the one on the left. She had feared that the dress would be gone when she got to the shop and was quite pleased when she found that it was still there.

Her eyes went to the other dress, the one she had spied on the same rack as the green one. As she tried it on, she had imagined what Daniel's reaction might be to seeing her in it. She would make sure that they were quite alone when he did, for her intention was that the dress would not remain long upon her body.

Was she assuming too much? Was it wrong of her to be planning this seduction? Now that nothing was standing in the way of them being together, her desire for him was growing too powerful to push aside. Last night, she had dreamed of them making love in this very room, their bodies mated in wild passion. Whenever she thought of that happening in reality, a delicious flush of heat washed through her body. She wanted to possess him utterly and for him to possess her in equal measure. He already utterly possessed her heart.

After hanging the dresses up in the closet, she went to her lab. That lab was something about which she would eventually have to talk with the general. Though, for now, it would do, she did not want it to be hers permanently. For her permanent workspace, she wanted a room on the next level up, the level upon which Daniel's office was. Not only would it put her closer to him, it would also make it easier for her to work with him and the rest of the linguists on translations needing her knowledge. She smiled when she thought of Daniel's reaction when he learned that she wanted to be placed upon his staff. When he was her slave, she was his 'boss', and, now, she was seeking an arrangement where he would be hers. She let out a laugh at the thought of it.

Oh, how happy she was. Within her grasp was the dream of spending the rest of her life with Daniel. No, it would not be the thousands of years that she had imagined back when he was with her before, but she knew that every year they would have together would be filled with the joy of a hundred years. Of course, that would only be if he came to love her as she loved him. If she had to wait for that love to grow in his heart, then she would. It would be worth the wait.

* * *

A small smile came to Daniel's face as he and his team stepped out of the event horizon and onto the metal ramp. Home. It was funny how Earth felt so much more like that to him now. This planet had been his home for the majority of his life, yet seldom since the death of his parents had he felt like he truly belonged anywhere on it. Now, that sense of belonging was quite strong, and he knew exactly why he felt that way.

Once the post-mission exam was done, he skipped taking a shower and went straight to a certain lab on Level 19. He watched Egeria for several moments as she sat at the computer, an expression of concentration on her face.

"Hey," he finally said.

With a little gasp, she turned around.

"Daniel! You are back!" she cried, a smile brightening her face like sunshine.

"Yep." He stepped into the room.

"How did the mission go?"

"Pretty well. There were a few tense moments. I'll tell you all about it later. I just came by to say hi before the debriefing."

"I am glad that you did."

Daniel nodded his head at the computer. "So, how is it going?"

"Very well. I have learned that the information I provided on weapon systems is going to be used to create weapons for your ship named Prometheus and your F-302s."

"Already? That was fast. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, though."

"From what I understand, they intend to use knowledge they gained from studying the newer weapons of a Death Glider and Al'Kesh to improve upon what I have given you."

Daniel nodded. "Sam told me once that, though they could probably manage to backwards engineer the weapons they got off a Death Glider, it wouldn't do them much good because they used liquid Naquadah, and the little that we managed to scrounge from staff weapons wouldn't be enough to power more than one or two."

"Yes, I have heard that the knowledge I provided for that was quite welcome."

Daniel smiled. "I bet." He glanced at his watch. "Well, I have to get to the debriefing. Would you like to have dinner together?"

"Very much so."

"Okay, I'll see you in a while, then."

All during the debriefing, Daniel got the feeling that Sam wasn't completely happy with how everything turned out. He decided that he'd have to ask her about it later.

"Good work, people," Hammond praised at the end. "Now, normally, I wouldn't discuss your next mission at this time, but I decided to go ahead and do so. Now that things have been settled with Egeria, I believe that it is time that we turn our attention back to those Ancient ruins on Egerania. Doctor Jackson, what do you think is the likelihood that there are extensive ruins beyond that ridge?"

"Well, if those ruins we examined were a school, it wouldn't make sense for it to be the only thing on the planet, and we saw no signs at all of other ruins in that meadow. Now, what I figure is that the school was something similar to one of our boarding schools. The kids lived there as they were being taught."

"Which could explain why it's isolated," Sam said. "Many boarding schools here on Earth are out in the country."

Hammond gave a nod. "Very well. If there are no objections, I will schedule your mission to return to Egerania for 0700 day after tomorrow."

"That works fine for me," Jack responded. "So, has anyone put any thought into how we're going to get to the ruins if they exist? It would be a pretty steep climb if there isn't some kind of pass. And, even if there _is_ a pass, it would be a very long walk, two days at least."

"We will discuss that if we determine that the ruins justify closer examination."

"Yes, sir."

Sam left the briefing room a little ahead of Daniel, and he had to hurry to catch up to her. Upon inquiring about her air of discontent regarding the mission, she admitted that she was unhappy about how the race turned out, disappointed that she and Warrick didn't win. She complained about the other racers being a "bunch of cheaters." When Daniel asked what she was going to do, she replied that, next year, they were going to kick butt. The reply amused him, and he hoped that she'd get the opportunity to do just that.

Sam looked at the smile on his face. "It's really great to see that."

"See what?"

"You smiling and happy. It's been a very long time since I've seen you truly happy."

Daniel shrugged very slightly. "After Sha're died, there was rarely a time when I felt like I had a good reason to be really happy. Now, I feel like I do."

"I'm glad, Daniel. You deserve this."

Daniel thought about the day he decided to tell everyone about his trip back in time. "You know, all of this came very close to never happening. I almost didn't tell you guys about my trip back in time. After I printed out the report, I got to thinking about all the pros and cons. I worried about what might happen if the time device was brought back here. I came really close to shredding the report. Now, I think about how different things would be if I'd done that. The Tok'ra wouldn't have a new queen, we wouldn't be getting all that information about Goa'uld history and technology, and the children of Egerania would have kept on dying."

"And you would never have been reunited with Egeria."

Daniel smiled. "Yeah. I have to wonder what else would be different."

"And what _will_ be different. There's no telling how different our future will be from what it would have been if you decided to shred that report."

While they ate dinner, Daniel told Egeria about the new mission that had been scheduled. She was disappointed that it would be coming so soon, especially when she learned that SG-1 might be gone for several days. With a silent sigh, she accepted the fact that her plans for Daniel would have to wait.

The next day was Daniel's day off. He had been intending to get caught up on some of the work that was piling up, but, upon arising, he decided instead to see if Egeria would like to go do something with him. However, when he went to ask her, he discovered that she wasn't in her quarters nor in her lab. He asked around and learned that she had left with Sam a short while ago. Curious, he called his female teammate.

"Hey, Daniel," she said upon answering her cell phone. "I figured that you'd probably be calling."

"So, what are you two up to?"

"Shopping."

"Again?"

"Well, we only got three outfits for Egeria last time, and she certainly needs more than that now that she's staying."

"Ah. Right. So, I suppose you're going to be gone all day."

He had thought that he'd hidden the disappointment from his voice, but, apparently, he hadn't quite succeeded.

"Would you like to meet us for lunch?" Sam asked. "Around one o'clock? We should be done by then." She started to grin. "Then you can have Egeria for the rest of the day."

"Okay. Sounds great."

They decided on a place to meet, then ended the call.

Sam turned to the woman beside her. "He'll be meeting us at one o'clock."

They returned to the mall, and Egeria wanted to go straight to the book store. Sam watched in amusement as the woman just about went nuts going through the books. They left an hour later with a bag crammed full of reading material.

"I shudder to think what you'd do if I took you to Barnes and Nobel," the major remarked.

"Barnes and Nobel? What is that?"

"Um . . . never mind," Sam replied, thinking that if she told the woman about the big book store, they'd never get their clothes shopping done.

As they drew near the clothing store where they shopped before, Sam thought about the green dress.

She smiled as she said, "You know, Egeria, there's no reason for you not to get that green dress now."

"I have already purchased it."

"You have? When?"

"While you were gone on your mission." A little smile curved her lips. "I purchased another one as well."

"Which one?"

Egeria described the dress to Sam.

"Wow," the major said. "I remember seeing that one on the rack. I toyed with the idea of having you try it on, but I was afraid that Daniel would have to be resuscitated, if you did." Sam began to smile. "We need to get you some other things to go with those dresses."

"Other things?"

The "other things" were some very sexy lingerie and a pair of black shoes with stiletto heels that Egeria didn't know if she would ever be able to walk in without stumbling.

"You'll just have to practice a lot in your room while we're gone," Sam told her.

The black-haired woman sighed. "I hope that you will not be gone too terribly long."

Sam's grin returned. "Eager to model those new dresses for Daniel?"

"Very much so."

The tone of Egeria's voice made Sam wonder if Daniel would manage to take the woman out on a date before she pounced on him.

At one p.m. they arrived at the restaurant where they were supposed to meet Daniel. Sam almost laughed when they walked in the door and found that he was already there, waiting in the lobby. Daniel was actually early? He really did have it bad, didn't he. The smile that lit up his face upon seeing them confirmed Sam's diagnosis. But then, it was no less dazzling than the one on Egeria's face.

All three of them enjoyed this lunch a whole lot more than the last one they had together, the conversation light and casual and not overshadowed by the thought that Egeria would soon be leaving.

After the meal, Sam said goodbye to Daniel and Egeria, telling the former that she'd see him in the morning.

"So, what would you like to do?" the archeologist asked his companion.

Egeria was very tempted to reply that she wanted him to take her to his home, but she decided against it. When that day came, she wanted it to be when he wasn't going to have to leave on a mission in the morning.

"I would like to see a movie," she said instead. "Sam told me about your movies and television, and they sound quite interesting."

"A movie, huh? Any preferences?"

"Something with a romance?" Egeria replied with a smile.

Daniel looked up the listings of all the movies playing in town, a frown coming to his face when he didn't see anything that he thought Egeria might like. Then he got to the listings for a budget theater that showed films that were released several months ago. He smiled when he saw Maid in Manhattan on the list, recalling that Sam said she took Cassie to see it, and they both loved it.

It turned out that Egeria loved it, too. While Daniel also enjoyed the film, what he enjoyed a lot more was Egeria's hand in his, her leaning in close to him as she shared his popcorn, the smile in her eyes every time she looked up at him. There were a few times when he had to stop himself from kissing her. He was really wishing that SG-1 didn't have a mission in the morning. He'd take Egeria out to a romantic dinner, perhaps dancing as well. Would she know how to dance? Probably not, but he could have fun teaching her. So what if he got his toes stepped on a few times.

_'Wow, you really do have it bad, don't you,'_ he said to himself.

Instead of dancing, they did some window-shopping after the movie was over. Instead of a romantic dinner, they went to a family restaurant. Then they returned to the SGC. As Daniel wished Egeria a good night, he was thinking that he couldn't wait for tomorrow's mission to be over.

* * *

"Okay. Something tells me that we're going to be here a while," Jack remarked.

The remark was inspired by the video they were presently watching, which was the feed from the UAV's camera. There in all its crumbling splendor was what appeared to be an Ancient city equally as large as the one on Vis Uban.

"So, Daniel. Could that be it? The Lost City?"

"I don't know, Jack. It's possible. I won't know anything until I take a look."

"All right. Carter, bring the UAV back. We need to tell Hammond what we've found."

Sam remotely piloted the flying craft back to the meadow from which they'd launched it and brought it in for a soft landing on the grass. They loaded it and the launcher back onto the wagon that had brought it out here, then climbed into the back with it. The driver, who'd watched most of the flight of the UAV with his mouth hanging open, took them back to the Stargate. SG-1 told him to wait as they went down to the gate.

"Well, General, the time has come to talk about how we're going to get to the other side of that ridge," were the first words Jack spoke to Hammond.

"There are ruins on the other side?"

"Oh, yeah."

"The city looks to be at least the size of the one on Vis Uban," Daniel said. "We're probably going to need a few teams here to go through it."

"The good news is that there is a pass, sir," Sam told the base commander, "although we couldn't tell from the video feed if it can be safely navigated."

"All right. Come on back, and we'll start making arrangements."

"Should we bring the UAV and launcher back with us?" Sam asked.

"Unless you think you're going to need it again."

A while later, SG-1 came through with the UAV and launcher. At the debriefing, they showed Hammond the footage that the aircraft took.

"I agree that it is definitely worth checking out," the general said. "We'll have three teams available day after tomorrow, including SG-13, whose archeologist has some knowledge of the Ancient language."

Daniel nodded. "Doctor Balinsky has a good grasp of several dialects of the language."

"Neither of the other two teams have people who can read Ancient, so I'd like you to pick two people from your staff who can accompany them, Doctor Jackson. Now, in regards to how you are all going to get there, we first need to determine if the pass is safe to travel. I will be arranging for some ATVs to be sent here. Colonel O'Neill, once they arrive, you and your team will go back to the planet and see if you can find a safe route."

"Uh, sir, how are we going to get them up the stairs?" Jack asked.

Sam frowned in thought. "They'll be too heavy to push up, so we're going to have to pull them up with ropes."

"I'm sure we could borrow a horse to do the pulling," Daniel said.

After the debriefing was over, Daniel went to tell Egeria what was going on.

"What is an ATV?" she asked.

"All Terrain Vehicle. They're small vehicles that are designed to drive over rough terrain."

"So, you will be gone several days?"

"I'm afraid so. Actually, it could take weeks to cover the whole city, but SG-1 won't be there that long. Once we and the other teams have done a quick search of the city, some archeological teams will be assigned to go through it more extensively."

Egeria studied him closely. "Do you wish that you could be with those archeological teams?"

"You know, if someone had asked me that question a month ago, I'd have said yes."

"And now?"

Daniel met her eyes. "I wouldn't want to be gone that long."

The expression that came into Egeria's eyes made Daniel want to kiss her. There were two things that kept him from doing so: the surveillance camera in the room and the open door through which anyone could look inside. He had a feeling that when he and Egeria did finally kiss, it would need to be done someplace private, for it would not be a kiss suitable for public viewing – and might lead to a whole lot more than just a kiss.

"You will be returning to Egerania tomorrow?" Egeria asked, seeing something in Daniel's eyes that made her wish they were someplace private.

The archeologist nodded. "Early in the morning. The ATVs are due to arrive tonight."

A moment of silence fell between them.

"Well, I need to go talk to my staff and decide who's going to go," Daniel said at last. "I'll see you later, okay?"

He left the Egeria's lab, not relaxing until he was on the stairs going up to the next level. He had come so close to saying to hell with the chance of someone seeing them and kissing her anyway.

In the past, Daniel would have been looking forward to a mission like tomorrow's, for the chance to be an archeologist and study Ancient ruins, but, in the past, he didn't have someone here waiting for him to come home; he didn't have someone who was filling his dreams with images of making love with her. He had a feeling that however many days they were in those ruins, the time was going to drag by.

* * *

Daniel stood and stared at the ruins laid out before him. Though rocky and steep in some spots, the pass was navigable and had enabled them to cover the distance to the ruins in three hours. Now that they were there, however, Daniel could see that the job of searching the ruins was going to be quite a task.

"Well, we made it," Jack said. "Now, we get to take the lovely trip back and tell Hammond."

"Actually, I'd like to stay," Daniel told him. "There's no point in all four of us going back."

"No way, Daniel. I learned my lesson on Estrania. Never again am I leaving you alone in a bunch of ruins."

"Well, the situation is quite a bit different this time, Jack, but I wasn't suggesting that you leave me alone. Sam or Teal'c can stay, too."

Jack thought about it for a moment. "All right. Carter, you stay with him. Teal'c and I will head back to the gate. Just try to stay out of trouble, okay?"

"We'll do our best, sir," Sam replied.

"Have fun sleeping in your tents while Teal'c and I sleep in our nice, comfy beds tonight."

Jack and Teal'c started up their ATVs and roared away. As the sound of their engines faded, the silence of the ruins took over.

Unfastening their packs from their own vehicles, the two scientists found a place to set up camp. Once that was done, they began to explore the ruins. They hadn't been at it for very long when Sam's curiosity about a certain subject drove her to speak.

"So, when are you going to ask Egeria out on a date?"

Daniel glanced at her, a smile coming to his lips. "How long have you been dying to ask me that?"

"Ohhh, since Egeria came back from the Tok'ra base."

"Wow. You managed to make it five whole days without asking. I'm impressed. Granted, we were on a mission for two of those days, but it's still impressive."

Sam gave him a light shove. "Okay, so I didn't want to seem nosy."

"Well, to answer your question, I already would have if it hadn't been for this mission. I've wanted to several times, but we've been kind of busy since she got back."

"I'm really glad that things worked out like they did. When Egeria and the others beamed back down from Thor's ship, she looked so happy." Sam glanced at him. "She really loves you a lot."

Daniel smiled softly. "I know. For a long time after Sha're died, I didn't think that I would ever feel that way for someone again. It feels . . . really good to know that I was wrong."

They spent several hours searching the ruins. Though Daniel found plenty of writing, the bits that he read gave no clue that there was some hidden cache of weapons somewhere in the city. Sam was also not picking up anything on her scanner.

As they headed back to camp, Sam remarked, "This is going to take a while."

"Yeah, but we already figured that. Including us, we'll have four teams, though, so we should be able to do a quick search of the ruins in just three or four days." A slight frown came to Daniel's face.

"What's wrong?"

"I was just thinking. What if this _is_ the Lost City and we do find a bunch of weapons? Is it too much? We're getting all that stuff from Egeria, some of which is already being built, and, now, we might get a bunch of Ancient technology, too. What if we get so powerful that the Goa'uld decide that we're too dangerous? Anubis has already proven that he doesn't give a damn about our protected planet status. Right now, he's focusing on the other Goa'uld, but if we get, as Jack might say, too big for our britches, he's going to turn his attention back to us."

"I guess all we can hope is that, if that happens, we'll have the weapons capable of defending the planet. We've been living under the threat of an attack for a long time. At least, now, maybe we'll have what we need to give us a fighting chance to defend ourselves."

Jack, Teal'c and the other teams arrived at mid-morning the next day. By then, Daniel had worked out a search pattern that would enable the teams to cover the most ground in the least amount of time.

"So, I see that you two are still all in one piece," Jack remarked as he walked up to the two youngest members of SG-1. "Daniel, Egeria sends her regards. She was quite disappointed that you didn't come back with us." He fished an envelope out of his pocket and handed it to the archeologist. "That's from her."

Daniel smiled and took it. "Thanks." He put it away in a pocket.

"You're not gonna read it?"

"I will later."

The four teams separated and began their search of the ruins. It was no surprise to any of his teammates that Jack became bored within an hour. Daniel mostly ignored him, too busy with examining the writing they found. So far, none of it was of any great consequence, no grand revelations, no tremendous discoveries that would lead them to a wealth of knowledge or technology. But then, even if this was the Lost City, Daniel hadn't been expecting a sign saying, "This way to the weapons."

Upon entering a particularly large structure, Jack agreed to let them split into two teams to cover it more quickly, Sam going with Teal'c and Jack sticking with Daniel.

"So, when are you going to ask Egeria out on a date?" the colonel asked five minutes later. He noticed a little smile on Daniel's lips. "What?"

"It took you half the time that it took Sam to ask that very same question once we were alone yesterday."

"I guess I just don't have as much patience. Are you going to answer the question?"

"I'll ask her when I know that we're not going to be heading right back out on another mission. I haven't had much of an opportunity to schedule anything."

"True. We have been busy."

Finding nothing of interest, SG-1 left the building and moved on to another.

And that's pretty much how the day went. By the end of it, they were all tired, and Jack was grumbling.

"We should let the other teams handle this," he said in camp that evening. "We are supposed to be a first contact team, you know, and this," he waved his hand about at the ruins, "isn't first contacting anything."

"The problem, Jack, is that I'm the only one here who's fluent in this dialect of Ancient," Daniel responded. "Cameron Balinsky knows it pretty well, and the other two linguists I picked will be able to get by, but if any of them find something that they think is important and aren't sure of their translation, I'm going to have to take a look at it. I'm not saying that we have to be here the whole time, but I think we should stay through this initial search."

"Yeah, all right. We can stay two more days, but that's it."

A couple of hours later, Daniel was in his tent, getting ready for bed. He recalled the letter Egeria had written to him and took got it out of his pocket.

_My Daniel,_

I hope that you are enjoying exploring your Ancient city. I am looking forward to hearing you tell me all about it.

Though you have been gone only a day, I miss you and cannot wait until you return. I hope that, soon, you will be able to take what you call a vacation so that you can show me some of this world. Could we go to Rome? I dearly wish to see how it looks today. I am reading the book you bought for me about it and the land that is now called Italy. It sounds delightful.

There is something I wish to tell you. On Thor's ship, when I was walking toward the table where my consciousness would be removed from Ria's body and then placed within my symbiote body, a voice deep inside my soul was crying out that it was wrong, that it was not supposed to be that way. I almost did not listen to it because I believed that my future lay with my children, that it was with them that I was meant to be. But I was wrong, Daniel. It is with you that I am meant to be. I think that has always been so. I know that there must have been a timeline in which we never met, but this does not change my belief. Perhaps in that timeline and any others that happened differently, my true destiny was never able to be fulfilled, that it is only in this one that it has come to pass. If that is so, then I grieve for the Egerias of those other timelines, especially for the one who never experienced the joy of meeting you at all.

I will say goodbye now, for I do not want to keep you long from work. The sooner that you are finished, the sooner that you will return to me.

Goodbye for now, my beloved Daniel.

Your Egeria

Deeply affected by Egeria's words, Daniel read them a second time, reading the third chapter more slowly as he imagined the look on her face as she wrote it.

He had never believed in fate, being of the opinion that each person created their own destiny, which changed with each decision they made. They'd already proven that a person's destiny was not cast in stone. The trip back to 1969, the events with the Aschen, and his own trip back in time had all proven that.

So, was Egeria wrong when she believed that her destiny lay with him? He wasn't willing to dismiss her belief so easily. The truth was that he couldn't really say. There was one thing he did know, though. If Egeria's destiny _was_ to be with him, then his was to be with her, and he could not think of a happier destiny that he could have.


	15. Chapter 15

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

"Well, that was three days of my life wasted," Jack complained.

"Just because we didn't find anything on this first search doesn't mean that there's nothing here, sir," Sam told him. "The archeological teams that are coming in will be doing a more thorough search, and each one will have scanning equipment. They might find something that we missed."

"Yes, maybe they will, but we will not be here if they do. I said we'd stay two more days, and those days are now up. We're heading back home in the morning." Jack turned to Daniel. "And I don't want to hear any complaints from you."

"I have no intention of complaining, Jack," the archeologist responded.

Jack frowned. "You don't?"

"Nope."

Jack's gaze narrowed suspiciously. "Why not?"

"I have my reasons."

"What re. . . ." All at once, Jack figured it out. He began to smile. "Ahhh. Yes. _Those_ reasons."

"What are the reasons of which you speak?" Teal'c asked.

"Me thinks that Danny here has some plans for a hot date with a certain raven-haired beauty."

Neither confirming nor denying Jack's guess, Daniel resumed eating his dinner.

On the trip back the next morning, Daniel began to make his plans. He was going to take both tomorrow and the next day off. Then he could schedule the date for tomorrow night and not have to worry about how late they stayed out.

Daniel couldn't help but think about what might happen at the end of that date. This was not going to be like the usual first date. He and Egeria weren't two people who had just met. They already knew each other well, including in the biblical sense. Well . . . sort of. Egeria knew _him_ in the biblical sense, and he sort of did her as well, except that it was a different body. So, did that count? Daniel mentally shook his head. Regardless, they weren't a couple of strangers just getting to know each other.

There was one thing about which Daniel was quite sure. If they kissed at the end of the date, he was going to find it very hard not to take things all the way. But then, should he even fight that? Egeria loved him, and he loved her, and they'd already had sex once. He had a feeling that he knew what Egeria would want – and it was most definitely what he wanted, too.

Once they were back at the SGC and the debriefing had been all taken care of, Daniel went in search of Egeria. He was surprised to find her in his office, reading a book. And then he saw what she was reading. It was one of his journals. After Daniel descended and got the journals back from Jack, who had been storing them at his house, the archeologist decided that it would be safer to keep them in his office instead of at his place.

As he quietly stepped into the room, still unnoticed by Egeria, Daniel was shocked to see tears on her face.

"Egeria?"

Startled, the former queen gasped and turned to him. "Daniel!" Wiping the tears from her face, she smiled and got to her feet. She came forward and embraced him.

"Egeria, why were you crying?" he asked. "What were you reading?"

The woman sighed and drew away from him. "I was reading one of your journals. I know that I should not have done so. They are private. I did not realize what it was when I first looked at it. I believed it to be a simple account of your missions. It was not until I reached one place that I realized it was more."

Daniel walked over to the desk and picked up the book, which Egeria had laid open. It took him only a second to recognize what she'd been reading. It was about Sha're's death. He'd poured his heart out in the book, writing down on its pages all the grief and guilt that he couldn't express to his friends.

Closing the journal, Daniel set it back on the desk. Egeria came up to him, her arm going around his waist, her head coming to rest on his shoulder.

"It grieves me that you had to suffer such pain, Daniel," she said. "If Apophis was still alive, I would do all in my power to make him suffer equally. The things you wrote there about your wife, how she spent her last moments of life thinking not of herself but of others, showed me that she was worthy of the love you gave her."

"Oh, she was so much more than worthy, Egeria," Daniel said in a voice full of emotion. "There were so many times when I wondered what I'd done to deserve having someone like her."

Egeria moved around to face him. "Tell me about her."

They both took a seat, then Daniel began to talk about Sha're, about her likes and dislikes, the things he loved the most about her and a few of the things that used to drive him up the wall. Through it all, Egeria watched his face closely, seeing the varying emotions play across it.

"You love her still," she said as he fell silent.

"I think a part of me will always love her, but it no longer hurts like it did when I knew you before. I'm okay now. My heart has finally moved on."

Hearing those words, real hope blossomed inside Egeria. Her heart began beating faster in her chest, a question hanging on her tongue. "Then you are ready to love again?"

Daniel knew why she was asking, what she wanted him to say. He lifted his eyes to hers and, staring into the green depths, spoke a single word.

"Yes."

Four breathless seconds passed as their eyes remained locked. And then they were suddenly on their feet and in each other's arms, lips locked together. Passion igniting inside him, Daniel claimed Egeria's mouth completely, hungrily delving into its depths as she did the same, neither of them having the power nor the desire to stop.

Taking two quick strides across the room, Daniel pressed Egeria up against the wall where the security camera could not see them. He slammed his hand against the button that would shut the door, assuring that no passerby would see them either.

Egeria felt like she was on fire, her whole body alight with the glorious pleasure of Daniel's mouth on hers, their bodies so close together. For so long she had wanted this again, for so very, very long. She wanted to feel him naked against her, his body joined with hers.

That need taking control, Egeria lifted her right leg and wrapped it around his hip. She rubbed herself against him, excitement quickening inside her at the feeling of his arousal.

Daniel gasped, tearing his lips from Egeria's. Every shred of common sense that he owned was telling him that this was a really bad idea, that someone could open that door and walk in on them at any second.

Those thoughts skittered away to a far corner of his brain when one of Egeria's hands went under his T-shirt and started playing with a nipple at the same time as her lips began traveling up his neck, her tongue teasing his skin. As that tongue slid around the shell of his ear, then delved inside, a convulsive shudder passed through Daniel's body.

Giving up the fight, he lowered his mouth to her neck as his right hand found its way under her blouse, the fingers dancing over her ribs. His touch wrenched a low moan from her throat. Wanting more, she reached under her top and guided his hand up to her breast, pushing his fingers under the bra. He cupped the softness. His other hand was now under her skirt and curved over her bottom, holding her lower half tight against his.

It was at that precise moment that reality quite rudely interrupted them in the form of Daniel's ringing telephone. They both stilled. As the phone continued to ring, their eyes met. Then, very reluctantly, they separated.

Daniel picked up the phone, clearing his throat before answering the call, hoping that whomever was on the other end didn't ask why he sounded out of breath. That person proved to be General Hammond's aide with a request for Daniel to come to the general's office.

"I'll be there in a few minutes," the archeologist said. He replaced the receiver, then just stood there, trying to get his body to calm down, particularly a certain part of it. His efforts were thwarted by Egeria coming up to him and running her fingertips down the nape of his neck.

Daniel let out a tortured groan. "Egeria, I have to go to Hammond's office, and I can't do it in the condition I'm in right now . . . and you're not helping by doing that."

The black-haired woman's lips curved into a sultry smile. She leaned forward and murmured into his ear, her breath sensuously caressing it. "Would you like me to leave?"

"Yes . . . no. I-I mean. . . ." He groaned again. "God, Egeria. You're driving me crazy."

The former Tok'ra queen's tone dropped in pitch. "And is that a good thing, my Daniel?"

Unable to stop himself, Daniel turned around and crushed her against him, taking her mouth in a hard, hungry kiss. He broke it after just a few seconds and very purposefully put a few feet between them.

"You need to get out of here," he said, his voice roughed by restrained passion.

Seeing the desire blazing like blue fire in Daniel's eyes made a quiver pass through Egeria's body, heat flashing like lightning from her head to her toes. She wanted to drag him to her quarters, tear the clothes from their bodies, and make love with him her over and over again. But that would have to wait.

"As you wish," she said with a little smile playing around her lips. "I will be in my lab when you return."

After she was gone, it was easier for Daniel to regain control of his body and settle down. Once he was presentable enough for public viewing, he headed to the general's office.

"Sorry it took me so long, sir," he said. "I was . . . tied up with something."

"That's all right, Doctor Jackson. SG-21 just dialed in from P3L-997. They're ready to start moving the inhabitants through the Stargate to their new home, but there's a problem. The people are getting scared and don't want to leave. Major Smithson thought that you might be able to convince them to go since they came to trust you when you were there."

Daniel sighed silently, his plans for a date with Egeria tomorrow night going down in flames. Pushing that thought out of his mind, he concentrated on the situation on P3L-997. Its moon was in a decaying orbit and would very likely eventually crash into the planet. Long before then, the world would no longer be able to sustain human life. As it was, it was already being ravaged by severe weather, earthquakes and flooding. When SG-1 went there over a month ago, they'd come to the realization that the inhabitants needed to be moved. The SGC spent weeks trying to find a suitable planet for them.

"When do they want me?" he asked.

"Tomorrow. Because of the time difference, you'll have to leave before dawn." General Hammond gave him a sympathetic look. "I am sorry about this. I know that you must be tired from your previous mission, and I am aware that you were planning on taking the next two days off. Unfortunately, as you already know, it will take several days to get all the people through the gate."

"I guess my days off will just have to wait, sir. Right now, the important thing is getting those people off that planet."

Back in his office, Daniel sat down heavily in his chair.

_'Crap,'_ he cursed voicelessly.

"Wow. Now that's a morose look if ever I saw one."

Daniel looked up at Sam, who was coming into the room. "Yeah, well, I'm entitled," he groused.

"Why? What happened?"

He told her about what was going on. "This, of course, means no date tomorrow and no days off. I know I shouldn't be whining. Getting those people off P3L-997 is important. I was just . . . really looking forward to this." _'Even more so now than I was before Egeria and I nearly had sex right here in this office,'_ he silently added.

"Daniel, it's perfectly understandable that you'd be disappointed. Does Egeria know yet?"

"No, I just got back from talking to Hammond. I know that she's going to be disappointed, too. I hadn't asked her about the date yet, but, well. . . ."

"She's going to hate that you'll be gone again for several days."

"Yeah." Daniel got to his feet. "But putting off telling her isn't going to accomplish anything, so I'd better go do it now."

When Daniel entered Egeria's lab, the smile she gave him wasn't like her previous happy-to-see-you smiles. No, it was a sensual, come-hither smile that would have any unmarried, heterosexual male over the age of twelve wanting to take her someplace extremely private and find out how quickly clothing could be removed.

_'Oh, shit,'_ Daniel said in his mind, wanting very, _very_ much to do that very thing. Swallowing to wet his parched throat, he said aloud, "Something's come up."

Daniel was right about Egeria being disappointed, but she was also worried.

"Conditions on the planet must be quite dangerous," she said.

"Yeah, but, if it doesn't take me long to talk them into leaving, there should be no problem with getting everyone off the planet before things get too bad. The biggest danger right now is flooding. The lower elevations are already underwater. We'd have gotten everyone moved long before now, but it took us a while to find a suitable planet to move them to."

Egeria took his hand. "You will be careful, will you not?"

Daniel gave her a smile, wanting so desperately to kiss her. "I'll be careful. I promise." He let go of her hand. "I should go. There are some things I need to get done before I leave in the morning. I'll be leaving before dawn, so I'll say goodbye to you tonight."

Daniel crammed in as much work as he could that afternoon, knowing that the pile would be even higher by the time he got back. Jack stopped by once to tell him to be careful and stay dry. Though the archeologist had every intention of doing the former, the latter would be quite impossible.

That evening, Daniel had dinner with Egeria in the commissary, mostly sharing small talk. Afterwards, they walked together to their quarters. Outside the door of hers, he wished her goodbye, telling her that he'd be going to bed early so that he could get enough sleep. He didn't think he was going to get much sleep regardless, but she didn't need to know that.

Daniel was turning to leave when Egeria caught his arm, causing him to turn back to her. And then, all at once, they were kissing. It was not a hungry, heated kiss like the others had been. This one was slow, and deep, and very thorough.

"Come to my bed," Egeria whispered after their lips had separated.

Daniel came oh so close to giving in, but he managed to hold firm. "I can't, Egeria, not tonight. You must know how much I want to, but, when that happens, I want to have the whole night with you, not just a couple of hours."

She stroked his cheek. "Yes, you are right. I must be patient."

They separated and entered their separate quarters, Daniel wondering if he would get any sleep tonight at all.

* * *

Daniel now knew what it felt like to be a drowned rat – well, except for the fact that he wasn't a rat and hadn't actually drowned. But, other than that, it probably felt just like this.

Things did not go well on P3L-997. In fact, the words "complete disaster" summed it up quite nicely. When he arrived, he found the human inhabitants all huddled in their houses and the leader of SG-21 trying to convince the city elders that things were not going to get better, and they couldn't stay there, no matter how scary the thought of uprooting their entire civilization to a strange planet might be. Daniel sat down with the elders and within around an hour had managed to reason with them. He had believed that everything would go well from then on . . . that was until the weather suddenly got a whole lot worse, the rain pouring down so hard that it felt like you were standing under a waterfall.

Realizing that the evacuation timetable had just been dramatically shortened, Daniel and SG-21 began hustling people through to their new homeworld, not an easy task because of the rain and almost perpetual darkness.

They'd managed to get most of the people evacuated when the Stargate abruptly stopped working, thanks to a virus created by Doctor Jay Felger as a weapon against the Goa'uld. The situation got progressively worse in the long hours that followed, the flood waters eventually forcing everyone to abandon the city and move to higher ground. By the time the problem had been fixed, the water level at the gate was a foot deep. By the time they got the last of the inhabitants through, it was three feet deep, and the seismic activity was creating deadly waves that almost resulted in several drownings and _did_ result in quite a few injuries. Because of this, everyone was sent through to the Alpha Site instead of the new homeworld so that the injuries could be treated.

As Daniel sat on the bench in the locker room, a wave of exhaustion washed over him. He stared at the shoes that he'd been in the process of putting on, feeling too tired even to bend over to get them.

In the next moment, the archeologist found himself engulfed in a tight embrace. And then someone's lips were on his. He pulled Egeria tighter against him and returned the kiss.

"I was so very worried about you," she said after their mouths had separated. Her eyes passed over his body. "Are you injured?"

"Nothing more serious than a few bruises. I'm just really tired."

"You must get some rest, then."

"Yeah, I will after the debriefing." Daniel looked around, seeing that they were alone. "Um . . . you are aware that this is the men's locker room, aren't you?"

Egeria smiled. "Yes, I am aware of that." Her smile turned coquettish. "Imagine my disappointment to find you fully clothed."

Even as tired as he was, that made him laugh. He kissed her softly. "I think I hear a couple of showers running, so you'd better get out of here before someone who _isn't_ fully dressed comes out."

Smiling again, Egeria gave him another kiss and told him that she'd see him in the morning.

All during the debriefing, Daniel was fighting to remain alert. He wasn't the only person in that condition. Every member of SG-21 was equally as tired, none of them having gotten more than a few hours of sleep over the last four days.

Seeing that the five men desperately needed some rest, Hammond called an end to the debriefing, telling them to go get some sleep.

Daniel recalled only a portion of his trip to his quarters, covering most of the distance in a mental fog. He took off his boots, pants and BDU shirt and crawled under the covers in his boxers and T-shirt. Two minutes after his head hit the pillow, he was asleep.

* * *

Daniel woke up the next morning famished, not having eaten since the previous afternoon. Once he was showered and dressed, he went across the hall and knocked on Egeria's door. She opened it and greeted him with a kiss that made him very tempted to forgo breakfast and satisfy another hunger. He quickly squashed that thought. He invited her to join him for breakfast, and she readily accepted.

They'd been eating for a few minutes when Sam joined them, followed ten minutes later by Jack and Teal'c. As everyone ate, Daniel learned all about the adventures his two male teammates had while they were stranded off-world, an adventure that ended with them acquiring an Al'Kesh, which they flew back to Earth, arriving late last night. Sam then filled Daniel in on the whole thing with the Avenger virus and why all the gates were affected.

"Enough about that," Jack finally said. "I don't want to talk about that idiot Felger anymore. So, I assume everyone's going to the Fourth of July picnic tomorrow."

"Fourth of July picnic?" Egeria repeated.

"Tomorrow is one of our national holidays," Daniel explained. He told her the purpose of the holiday.

"The SGC throws a big picnic every year," Sam told her. "This year, it's being hosted by General Hammond."

"There'll be hotdogs and hamburgers, kids running all over the place, and an all-around good time," Jack said.

"It sounds delightful," Egeria responded.

"Yes, and just wait until you see the fireworks."

"Fireworks?"

"You'll see."

After breakfast, Daniel went off to write his report. When he turned it into the general, the man gave him a smile.

"I trust that you got plenty of rest," Hammond said.

"Yeah, I slept straight through the night."

"That's good. While you're here, I have something to discuss with you. Egeria has requested that, once she finishes her present task of giving us information on the items on that list, she be assigned to a position on your staff."

Stunned, Daniel stammered, "S-she did?"

"Yes. She feels that her extensive knowledge of the Goa'uld language would be of great benefit to the Linguistics Department."

"Yes, she's right, it would, but I was just planning on having them go to her when there was a translation that no one else could handle. I mean, I should imagine that there will be times when Sam will be wanting her help, too."

The general nodded. "One of the reasons why I'm bring this up is that I am aware that your relationship with Egeria is perhaps more than that of just friends."

Daniel shifted his position in the chair, feeling a little embarrassed. "Oh. Um . . . yeah. You're . . . you're right about that."

"Though, as civilians, it is not against regulations for you to be involved, there would be some concerns if Egeria was a member of your staff since one of your duties is to write their evaluations."

"And there would be some question of my objectivity with Egeria."

"Yes."

"I understand, General. I'll have a talk with her. I do agree that it would be better for her not to be officially assigned to the Linguistics Department."

After leaving the general's office, Daniel went to Egeria's lab.

"Hi. Um, we need to talk," he said.

"Is there a problem?"

"General Hammond told me about your request to be put on my staff."

Egeria studied his expression. "You do not want me on your staff?"

"Uh . . . okay, how do I say this?" Daniel grabbed a chair and wheeled it over to her. "Egeria, I would love to work with you, and I can definitely foresee us doing that in the future, but I wouldn't want you to be on my staff. I wouldn't want that superior/subordinate relationship between us. I want us to be equals both in our personal lives and in our working relationship. Can you understand that?"

Egeria smiled. "Yes, I can."

"Then you're not upset?"

"No, Daniel. You are wise to want it that way. However, I still wish to have my workroom on the same level as yours."

"I should be able to arrange that. There is one unused office just a couple of doors down from mine."

"Excellent. May we go see it?"

"Sure."

They ascended to the next level up, and Daniel led Egeria to the empty office. She looked around, seeing that it appeared to be just about the same size as Daniel's.

"This will do quite well," she said.

"Okay, then I'll see about getting you moved here, that is unless you want to wait until after you're finished with your present project. This room is a lot smaller than your present lab."

"I do not need a great deal of space. I can work as well here as where I am now."

Egeria headed for the door, but, instead of going out, she closed it. Two seconds later, her lips were on Daniel's. Taken by surprise, it took him a brief moment to respond, but then he did so wholeheartedly. It was quite some time before they came up for air.

"I want to take you on a date," Daniel said.

Egeria smiled. "A date? Is that not a form of courtship?"

He returned the smile. "Yes, it is."

"And what manner of things are done on a date?"

"Oh, lots of different things are done on dates. As for _our_ date, I plan on taking you to a romantic restaurant, perhaps go dancing."

"I do not know how to dance. There was never a reason to learn."

"Then I'll teach you. Slow dancing is easy. I'm sure you'll learn in no time."

"I would like that very much." Egeria began placing kisses on Daniel's neck, making his respiration quicken. "What happens after the date?" she asked in a silky tone.

"That's entirely up to the couple, anything from a good-night kiss on the cheek," he ran his hand down her body and pulled it tighter against his, "to a whole lot more."

"Mmm. I think, my Daniel, that our date will not end with merely a good-night kiss."

Daniel looked in her eyes, seeing desire burning in their depths. "Yeah, I think so, too." He took her mouth in a deep, passionate kiss that left no doubt in either of their minds how far things would progress at the end of their date.

"And when is it that we are going to go on this date?" Egeria asked as she ran her fingertips up and down Daniel's arm. "I would very much like it to be tonight."

Daniel's expression sobered. "I would like that as well, Egeria, but . . . there's something I need to do tonight."

Seeing a hint of sadness in his eyes, Egeria asked what it was that he had to do. What he told her made all thoughts of their date leave her mind. She was saddened by the story of yet another loss in his life.

"Do you wish me to be with you?" she asked.

"No, but thank you for offering." He gave her another kiss. "I need to get back to work. I have to earn all that money they pay me, you know." He smiled. "Actually, so do you, now."

They moved apart, and Daniel opened the door. He accompanied Egeria to the elevator.

"I'll talk to Hammond later about moving you to that office," he told her.

Egeria nodded. She searched his eyes. "You will be all right tonight?"

"I'll be fine, Egeria. Don't worry."

The elevator doors opened, and Egeria got on. After the doors had closed, Daniel returned to his office, his mind on what he would be doing tonight.

* * *

Daniel dialed the familiar number. The call was answered after the first ring.

"Ah, Daniel. I have been waiting for your call."

"How are you doing, Mrs. Rothman?"

"Oh, well enough, I suppose. The arthritis acts up more these days. I had to get hearing aids a couple of months ago. Take my advice, Daniel. Stay young as long as you possibly can. Getting old is such a bother."

Daniel smiled. "I'll try."

"So, how _are_ you doing? Have you got a girlfriend yet?"

The archeologist's smile widened. "Are you aware that you ask me that question every time we talk?"

"Of course I do. I'm a Jewish grandmother. I want you to get married and have a house full of children who will call me Bubbe when I come to visit."

Daniel laughed outright. "Well, as it so happens, I _do_ have a girlfriend now."

"Oh, how wonderful! What's her name? What is she like?"

"Her name is Egeria, and she's fantastic. She's smart, beautiful, compassionate. I could go on and on about her, but I'll stop right there."

"Do you love her?"

"Very much."

"I am so pleased, Daniel. You simply _must_ come visit me and bring her with you."

"That would be great, maybe sometime during the holidays."

"I will look forward to it."

A moment of silence fell between them.

"It is hard to believe that it's been three years," Mrs. Rothman said, sorrow now in her voice.

"Yeah."

"My daughter wanted me to go to her place today. She doesn't like it that I'm here alone on this day."

"You should have gone, then."

"No, I knew you'd be calling. You promised that you would this anniversary."

"I am really sorry that I didn't call last year. I would have if it had been possible."

"I know, Daniel. I understand why you couldn't explain everything to me when you called last April, but I know that whatever it was that you were doing, it was something important. You are a good boy, just like my Robert was."

Daniel felt his throat begin to tighten.

"He admired you a great deal, you know. Back when he was your research assistant, he used to talk about you. He said that you never talked down to him. You always treated him as an equal. He appreciated that."

"He wasn't just my research assistant, Mrs. Rothman. He was also my friend."

They talked about Robert, sharing memories of the man who had been Daniel's friend, yet another person he cared about who was lost because of the Goa'uld. His mother, of course, did not know the truth about her son's death. As far as she knew, he had died in an explosion at work that incinerated everything in the room, a necessary cover story to explain why there was no body for her to bury. Robert's body had, indeed, been incinerated, cremated to destroy both it and the Goa'uld that had been inside him when he died.

"Well, I suppose I should be going off to bed now," Mrs. Rothman said, "and you should, too. It's an hour later for you. Will you be doing something special for tomorrow?"

"Not really, just the usual picnic."

"And what about your birthday? Anything special planned for it?"

"That I don't know. Jack and the others have been suspiciously silent about what they're planning. It just better not be something excruciatingly embarrassing."

Mrs. Rothman laughed softly. "I've sent you a card, of course. You should get it soon."

"Thanks."

"Take care, Daniel. And please do make plans to bring your sweetheart here for a visit."

"I will. I promise. Good night, and you take care, too."

"Good night."

Daniel hung up the phone. For a while, he remained where he was, thinking about Robert and what his friend might have had to say about Egeria. Daniel suspected that he would have liked her.

Getting up from the chair, Daniel began getting ready for bed, turning his thoughts away from the past and to the future.


	16. Chapter 16

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Daniel knocked lightly on Egeria's door. She answered it a moment later.

"Hi," he said. "Are you ready?"

"Almost. Please come in. I will be just a moment."

As Egeria went into the bathroom, Daniel wandered about. He noticed an open box sitting on the dresser and took a peek inside. The sight of a box of tampons and other things of that nature made him feel a little uncomfortable. Then he saw something else. He immediately recognized what it was: a birth control pill case.

Daniel walked away from the dresser, thinking about what those pills meant. Three weeks ago, he did something that he hadn't done in over eight years: got a box of condoms. At the time, he'd wondered how he was going to manage in the heat of passion to explain to Egeria what they were and the reason for wearing one. Now, it looked like he wouldn't have to do so. Egeria was obviously disease-free, and he was, too, so the only reason to wear a condom would have been to prevent pregnancy.

"I am ready."

Daniel turned to Egeria, smiling when he saw that she'd put her hair in a loose braid that draped over her right shoulder.

"You look beautiful," he told her.

Egeria smiled. "Thank you."

When they arrived at General Hammond's house, the place was already packed with people. One by one, they located Daniel's teammates. Sam was in a lawn chair beside Janet, the two of them deep in conversation. Teal'c appeared to be in a serious discussion with the leader of SG-18. As for Jack, he was chatting with General Hammond, who was at the grill, cooking hamburger patties and hotdogs.

"Daniel! Egeria!" the grey-haired colonel called. "I was beginning to wonder when you guys were going to show up."

They walked up to him and the general.

"Yeah, there was an accident on the road into town," Daniel explained. "We had to wait a while to get past it."

"I was quite alarmed by the level of damage to the vehicle," Egeria said. "I did not realize that these automobiles you drive are so fragile."

"Well, that depends on the car you're driving," Jack told her. "Some are sturdier than others. That big SUV Daniel drives would fare a lot better in an accident than some little bitty compact. But, yeah, I'm afraid that our automobiles aren't as sturdy as the, uh," he glanced about and lowered his voice, "vehicles you're used to." He smiled. "So, I bet you guys are hungry."

Since Egeria already knew what a hotdog tasted like, she decided to try a hamburger. She topped it with every condiment available, plus lettuce and tomatoes. Upon biting into it, she decided that, though she'd liked the hotdog, she liked hamburgers even better.

After they'd eaten, the couple mingled with the other guests. Daniel found himself introducing Egeria to quite a few wives, all of whom were accustomed to seeing him at the various parties without a girlfriend. In fact, more than one of them had tried to fix him up with a relative or friend in the past.

He failed to notice the unmarried women there who were not looking very pleased at the sight of his arm around Egeria's waist. The former Tok'ra queen, however, _did_ notice and gave each of them a look that quite clearly told them that Daniel was taken. They all got the message . . . all except for one, that is.

Lorraine Drake, a sister of one of the marines stationed at the base, had been lusting after Doctor Daniel Jackson ever since she first saw him at the Fourth of July picnic three years ago. She had tried more than once to woo him with her feminine wiles, but never had any luck. Lorraine, however, was not a woman who gave up easily. Once she set her sights on a man, she wouldn't rest until she'd gotten him into her bed. She had firmly believed that it was only a matter of time before he gave into her charms. The sight of the black-haired woman who never seemed to leave Daniel's side was a very unpleasant surprise.

Lorraine studied the woman like one would a competitor. She couldn't deny that this girlfriend of Daniel's was very beautiful, especially her eyes, which were large and a striking green color. There was an air of pride in the way that she held herself, her spine straight, her head high. That told Lorraine that this was no shy, shrinking violet. But then, she'd already guessed that by the look the woman focused upon her, a look that said in no uncertain terms, "He's mine."

Lorraine smiled slightly. _'Well, we'll just have to see about that.'_

The redhead's opportunity came around an hour later. Egeria was dragged off by Sam to chat with some of the other women, leaving Daniel alone. Lorraine wasted no time in approaching him.

"Daniel! How wonderful to see you."

The archeologist sighed internally. He'd really been hoping that he wouldn't have to deal with her this time.

"Hello, Lorraine."

"So, how are you doing? It's been ages since I've seen you."

"Yeah. I was . . . out of the country for a while."

"Oh? When did you get back?"

"Not all that long ago, a few months."

Lorraine put on her most dazzling smile. "I'd love to hear more about it. Perhaps we can find someplace quieter and chat."

Daniel sighed again, this time audibly. "Um, look, Lorraine. I have a girlfriend, so. . . ."

Lorraine feigned surprise. "Oh, really? How long have you been dating?"

Daniel paused. "Almost a month," he replied, which was the amount of time that had passed since Egeria's consciousness was transferred into her present body. It wasn't the truth, but there was no way that he was going to tell this woman that he and Egeria hadn't managed to go on a date yet.

"Oh, then she's a _new_ girlfriend." Lorraine was smiling on the inside. If they'd been dating for less than a month, then it was doubtful that it was really serious yet.

"I suppose you could say that."

Lorraine gave him another smile. "Well, I see no harm in us having a little chat, Daniel. Surely your girlfriend wouldn't mind."

Before Daniel could answer, Egeria was suddenly there, green eyes boring a hole into Lorraine. She'd seen the conversation going on and could tell by Daniel's demeanor that he was uncomfortable. She had no doubt as to the reason why. When Egeria saw this woman earlier, the look on her face as she stared at Daniel told the former Tok'ra everything she needed to know about the redhead.

Egeria wrapped her arm around Daniel's waist and smiled up at him. "Would you like to introduce me, Daniel?"

With a smile of relief, the archeologist did so gladly. "Egeria, this is Lorraine Drake. She's Captain Drake's sister."

"Egeria. That's an unusual name," Lorraine said, most definitely _not_ smiling.

"It's from Roman mythology," Daniel told her.

Egeria focused her gaze back on him. "Samantha, Doctor Fraiser and I were about to go inside and begin cutting and serving the desserts. Would you like to come help us?"

Jumping at the chance to get away from Lorraine, Daniel replied, "Sure."

Not yet ready to admit defeat, Lorraine said, "I'll be happy to come help as well."

Egeria turned and stared at her, a stare that would probably have sent most men running for their lives. "Thank you, but I believe that the four of us will be quite enough. We would not want it to be too crowded in the kitchen, now would we."

Lorraine Drake had tangled with a lot of women over the years while in pursuit of their boyfriends, so she was no stranger to this kind of warfare, but something in the eyes of this opponent told her that this was not a woman it would be wise to mess with . . . not if she wanted to remain healthy.

With a lift of her chin and a look that was clearly a dismissal of the other woman, Egeria turned back to the man at her side. "Shall we go? I am eager to see if any of the desserts have chocolate."

As they walked away from Lorraine, Daniel leaned in closer to Egeria. "Thanks for rescuing me."

"You are quite welcome."

It turned out that two of the desserts brought to the picnic were made with chocolate, and Egeria took half a piece of each of them. Daniel, on the other hand, had selected a piece of banana cream pie, knowing that it had been made by Mrs. Seinfeld, whose baking talents were legendary at the SGC parties.

Scooping up a mouthful, he held it up to Egeria's lips with a grin. "Open up." She complied, her eyes widening with pleasure upon tasting the bite.

"Oh, that is wonderful!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah. Mrs. Seinfeld could probably open a bakery and make a fortune. I don't know how her husband manages to stay as thin as he is."

Just then, Daniel noticed Lorraine staring at them from a few yards away. A spark of mischief lit within him.

"So, how are _your_ desserts?" he asked Egeria as she took a bite of one of the things on her plate.

"They are both very good," she replied after she'd finished chewing. "Would you like a taste?"

"Love to."

Daniel's method of getting a taste was to pull Egeria's mouth to his in a deep kiss, which she quite eagerly returned.

"Mmm. Yummy," he said as they broke apart. He glanced over at Lorraine just in time to see her turn on her heels and walk away, her back stiff.

Lorraine was not the only one who witnessed the kiss. Sam was presently staring at the couple a little wide-eyed.

"Oh, my," said the woman standing beside her. "That was certainly more than just a friendly smooch, wasn't it."

Sam glanced at Janet. "Ohhh, yeah. I know for a fact that they haven't had a chance to go on a date yet."

Janet began to smile. "Something tells me that a few steps are going to be skipped over in this particular courtship."

Sam was now smiling as well. "As Colonel O'Neill would probably say, 'Ya think?'"

Jack had been inside at the time, so he didn't witness the kiss. Lou Ferretti, however, did see it and took it upon himself to discuss it with the colonel.

"So, did you see that whopper of a kiss that Daniel laid on Egeria?" he asked.

"Uhhh, no, I guess I missed that."

"I never knew he had it in him. I always pegged Daniel as the kind of guy who wasn't into PDA of that magnitude. Yeah, there was that kiss between him and Sha're, but she was the one who initiated it. Then again, he's changed a lot over the years. He's not that same long-haired geek we met over eight years ago."

"No, he's not."

"So, I guess this confirms the rumor that there's something going on between those two. Well, good for him. It's about time that he found himself a girl, even if she was once a," he glanced about to see if anyone was within hearing distance, "a Goa'uld." Ferretti studied Jack's expression. "You don't have a problem with it, do you?"

"No, I'm fine with it. Yeah, she did use to be a Goa'uld, but she is _so_ not like them now. She's not like most of the Tok'ra either. I like her. I can't say the same for most of them."

"From what I heard, she turned down the job of being the Tok'ra's queen again so that she could stay here with Daniel."

"Yes, and, as far as I'm concerned, that proves how smart she is. Sure, they live a couple thousand years or so, but she'd have spent a lot of that time pregnant, giving birth or teaching a bunch of baby snakes the same things over and over again. Given a choice between that and living fifty or sixty years enjoying life as a human, which would _you_ pick?"

"Putting it that way, I'd definitely take the latter."

"That's what I'm sayin'. Smart lady."

It was around half an hour later that the "smart lady" wandered over to where Jack was lounging in a chair.

"So, how are you enjoying your first Fourth of July picnic?" he asked.

"I am enjoying it very much." She gestured at the empty chair beside him. "May I?"

"Sure."

Egeria took a seat.

"Yep, we do put on some pretty good shindigs." Jack looked about at all the people, his eyes coming to rest on Daniel, who was chatting with a member of his staff. "This particular Independence Day picnic is a bit more special than normal, but the _really_ special celebration is coming up in four days."

"Oh? What occasion does that one commemorate?"

"Daniel's birthday."

Egeria smiled. "It is Daniel's birthday in four days?"

"Yeah. It's kind of an extra special one for all of us. You know about what happened to Daniel last year, don't you? The . . . accident and what went on afterwards?"

"Yes."

"Well, he wasn't with us that year for his birthday, or the Fourth of July, or Thanksgiving, or Christmas, or any other holiday or celebration. So, for me, Carter and Teal'c, those things are kind of special this year because we have him back."

"Are you going to have a party for his birthday?"

Jack filled her in on what the plans were. Upon learning some things from Egeria, however, he decided to make a few changes.

By 4:30, all the guests were gone, except for those who'd stayed to help clean up, which included SG-1, Janet and Egeria.

"So, who's going to go watch the fireworks tonight?" Jack asked.

"Me," Sam replied.

"I will be attending again as well," Teal'c stated.

"I would, but I want to go to the hospital and check on Sergeant Reeves," Janet said, referring to an SG team member who'd been in a serious car accident a few days ago. "I'm hoping that he will be well enough to transfer to the infirmary tomorrow."

Jack turned to Daniel and the woman beside him. "Daniel, I would assume that you're not going to deny Egeria the fun of seeing her very first fireworks."

"No, we'll be there."

SG-1 and Egeria arrived early to find a good spot from where to watch the fireworks. As they waited for the show to begin, they chatted. Jack insisted, not for the first time, that they all needed to come to his cabin for a relaxing few days fishing and hanging out.

"Yes, fishing in a pond that has no fish," Daniel responded.

Egeria frowned in puzzlement. "Why would you expend time and energy fishing in a body of water that you know has no fish?"

"Whether or not there's fish isn't the point," Jack declared. "It's about the act of fishing, having your line in the water as you relax with a beer or two, nothing much on your mind."

Egeria stared at him. "Forgive me, Colonel O'Neill, but the purpose of fishing is to catch food to be eaten or to be sold to others who will eat it."

"Ah, but you see, Egeria, you're talking about _real_ fishing," Daniel explained, "as it was in the majority of Earth's history. Jack's fishing is really just a form of recreation. It has nothing to do with feeding anyone."

"Hey, I resent that," Jack said. "What about sport fishing? It's a fully recognized and accepted sport, and the guys who do it mainly do it for the fun and the challenge. I see nothing wrong in that."

"Uh huh, but the point is that they're catching something, now isn't it."

Jack frowned severely. "Well, fine. If you don't want to fish, then you don't have to. I'll have the pond all to myself, then."

"Sir, why don't you just stock the pond with fish?" Sam asked.

"Too much hassle."

More than one person present wondered if the real reason was that, if there were no fish, Jack's ego wouldn't be bruised if he failed to catch anything.

The conversation moved onto other things, ending when the announcement was made that the fireworks would begin in a moment.

Daniel took Egeria's hand and smiled at her, telling her to keep her eyes on the sky. And then the first fireworks were launched, exploding in the air with a spectacular, multicolored display. Egeria gasped, her eyes widening in delight.

As the show continued, Daniel spent quite a bit if his time watching Egeria, enjoying the childlike look on the face of a four-thousand-year-old woman who must have seen many amazing things in her life. When you stopped to think about what she once was, it was really incredible that she found joy in such things as swinging on a swing, or playing air hockey, or watching fireworks. It was one of the things that made her so unique and special among her species.

By the time the show's big finish arrived, Egeria was smiling broadly. As the last fireworks went off and everyone started clapping, she was clapping right along with them.

"So, how'd you like it?" Daniel asked, already knowing the answer.

"It was wonderful! You have this every year on this day?"

"Yep."

"Then we must come see it every year."

Daniel laughed. "We'll do that."

SG-1 and Egeria made their way to the parking lot.

"Daniel Jackson, I would be quite willing to take Egeria back to the base so that you could retire to your home," Teal'c said.

Daniel looked at Egeria. "Would that be okay? I haven't been home in over two weeks, so I've probably got a ton of messages on my answering machine and a pile of mail that I'm going to have to pick up from the post office in the morning."

"Certainly, Daniel. I will be happy to accompany Teal'c." She gave him a kiss. "I will see you in the morning." She gave no hint that her hope had been that this would be the night they made love.

As she went with Teal'c to the car he had borrowed from one of the on-duty personnel, an idea suddenly came to her. The more she thought about it, the more she liked it. A smile curved her lips as she came to the decision that her Daniel would be receiving an extra special birthday present this year.

* * *

Egeria came to Daniel's office the next morning while he was in the midst of a translation.

She gave him a brief kiss. "Good morning. I must say that I am a little displeased with you," she told him, though the look in her eyes conveyed that her displeasure was mild at best.

"Oh, and what did I do to displease you?" Daniel asked with a slight smile.

"You did not tell me that your birthday is on Tuesday."

"Oh. I would have told you before then."

"But you have not left me much time to buy you a birthday present."

"Egeria, you don't have to buy me a present. Just having you here is the best present I could get."

That statement made Egeria's heart swell. She gave him another kiss, this one much longer than the last.

"It brings me joy that you feel that way, Daniel," she said. "However, I still wish to buy you a present. Samantha has agreed to take me shopping tonight to find one. I will then be . . . sleeping over at her home."

Daniel smiled. "Sleeping over, huh? I can see it now, you two pigging out on chocolate ice cream as you watch chick flicks on TV."

Egeria gave him a puzzled frown. "Chick flicks?"

"Movies made mostly for female audiences."

"Ah. I do not know what Samantha has planned for the evening . . . although chocolate ice cream sounds very good. From what I have been told, there will likely be some kind of celebration on your birthday. It would be lovely if we could have our date that evening, but I should imagine that would not be possible."

"I don't know what Jack and the others have planned, but, yes, you're right that a date that day probably wouldn't be possible."

"Then what of the next day?" She gave him a sexy smile. "We could celebrate your birthday a second time, just the two of us."

Daniel liked that idea very much and told her so.

"Good. Then that is what we will do."

As Egeria left, the thought went through Daniel's mind that he couldn't wait for the ninth of July to arrive.

* * *

On the morning of July 8, a knock came on the door of Daniel's house. He opened it to find Egeria and his teammates on the porch.

"What are you guys doing here?" he asked. "Shouldn't you be going off to work?"

"Nope, and neither are you," Jack answered. "We all have the day off, courtesy of General Hammond. We are all taking you out to have fun on your birthday. So, get your wallet and whatever else you need, and let's get going."

Taken by surprise, Daniel just stood there for a couple of seconds. Then, deciding to just go with the flow and accept whatever plans his teammates had for his birthday, he got his wallet, cell phone and keys.

When they got on the highway that would take them to Denver, Daniel really started wondering where they were going. When he found out, he couldn't have been more pleased. A special Egyptian art exhibit had been showing at the Denver Art Museum that he'd been dying to see, but there had been no opportunity to go.

"I see by the smile on your face that you're happy with these birthday plans," Jack remarked.

"Yes, I am. Thanks, Jack. I know that art museums aren't exactly your cup of tea."

"Well, this is your birthday, not mine. However, when it _is_ my birthday, I expect you to reciprocate accordingly."

"Deal."

Daniel was not the only one who enjoyed the hours at the museum. Egeria loved it just as much, especially watching Daniel go into teacher mode in the Egyptian exhibit and talk about the history and culture behind the pieces of art. Sam and Teal'c enjoyed themselves as well. As for Jack, he hadn't really expected to have fun, but he tried his very best not to get bored. Seeing the big smile on his best friend's face helped. It was good to see Daniel truly happy. It was a sight that Jack hadn't seen in a very long time. He knew that the reason for that happiness was the woman who seldom left his side. They all had a lot to thank Egeria for, but, on a personal level, this was the thing that made Jack feel the most gratitude.

After leaving the museum, they went to the Boondocks Fun Center, a last minute change in plans made by Jack when he found out how much fun Egeria and Daniel had at the arcade in Colorado Springs.

On the bumper boats, Egeria and the four members of SG-1 got into an all-out war against each other and anyone else who was unfortunate enough to get in the way, firing the water guns mercilessly. Every one of them was sopping went by the time they got off. Then came the go-karts. Egeria was weaving all over the place until she got the hang of steering, then she was trying her level best to beat Daniel in a race. She didn't succeed, but she had fun trying.

After that, they decided to go for something more sedate and played a round of miniature golf. By the time they were through the course, their clothes were dry, so they went inside, where Jack immediately headed for the laser tag arena. He discovered to his great surprise that Egeria was a pretty decent shot. She explained afterwards that she spent a lot of time practicing shooting both the zat guns and staff weapons before her fateful trip to Earth.

They did a couple more things there, then decided that, because of the long drive home, they'd better call it a day. They got some dinner, then headed on home, the members of SG-1 promising Egeria that they'd go back someday.

"We're going to have to take you to the Lakeside Amusement Park, too," Jack said. "Just wait until you have your first roller coaster ride."

"Roller coaster?"

"Oh, yeah."

Outside Daniel's house, the archeologist thanked everyone for the wonderful birthday.

"Ah, it's not over yet," Jack responded.

Sam went over to her car, which she'd left there, and pulled out two big bags. Grinning, she came back to the others.

"Your presents," she said.

They went inside and sat in the living room as Daniel unwrapped his gifts. He started with the gifts that were from others at the SGC, then moved on to those from his teammates. Each one of their gifts showed how much thought they had put into what to get him. It touched him deeply that they put so much effort into making this birthday a special and happy one.

The last present he unwrapped was the one from Egeria. He was puzzled when he opened the box and found nothing inside except a card and a small piece of black lace. The puzzlement ended when he read the card.

_Just a little preview, my Daniel._

Your Egeria

Daniel's heart rate instantly went up a notch at the thought of seeing the item of clothing to which that black lace belonged.

"What does it say?" Jack asked.

Daniel put the card and lace back in the box and closed the lid. "Something that would take torture with painsticks for me to tell you," he replied.

Jack didn't push. He had a good idea what the subject of that card was.

"Well, it's getting late, and tomorrow is a workday, so I suppose we should toddle off," he said.

"You can stay at my place again, if you'd like, Egeria," Sam suggested. "Then we can go to work together in the morning."

"Thank you, Samantha. That will be appreciated."

Daniel walked with his friends out to their cars. Jack would be taking Teal'c back to the base.

"Thanks again, guys," Daniel said. "This was a great birthday."

"We're just so glad that you're back with us, Daniel," Sam told him, giving him a hug. "This day last year was really sad for us, so we wanted to make it fun this year."

Egeria gave him a kiss before getting in Sam's car. He watched the silver Volvo and Jack's jeep drive off, then he went inside.

It being a little too early for bed, Daniel spent the next forty minutes reading one of his archeology magazines in an effort to get his mind off that little piece of black lace and what tomorrow night was going to bring. He then headed off to the bedroom to get dressed for bed. He'd gotten his shoes, socks, shirt and belt off when he thought he heard a noise coming from the living room. Cautiously, he left the bedroom. He was a few steps into the living room when he saw the source of the noise – and what that source was wearing.

The dress was the color of red wine and shimmered like silk. It molded to Egeria's body like someone had sprayed it on her. The neckline plunged low, revealing a generous amount of cleavage, and the slit skirt ended well above the knees.

Daniel couldn't breathe. He was also finding himself incapable of taking his eyes off Egeria's body, his gaze sliding all the way down to the black, stiletto-healed shoes.

Finally managing to kick-start his respiration, he dragged his eyes up to Egeria's face to find that she was staring at him with wide eyes.

When the former queen of the Tok'ra had come up with her plan to put on the red dress and come to Daniel's place tonight, she had expected him to be the one whose respiration would be affected. But then, she had not anticipated that he would appear before her half-naked.

Egeria filled her gaze with the sight before her, going from his neck all the way down to where his pants rode low on his hips. In three years, Daniel's body had changed, and it had most definitely done so for the better. The shoulders appeared broader, the chest and arms stronger and more well defined, the abdomen more toned. This was not the body of a scholar but of a warrior, and looking at it filled Egeria with overpowering desire.

Daniel stood rooted to the spot as Egeria's gaze slowly traveled over him, the pupils dilating, eyes darkening with intense desire. His body immediately reacted, his heart beating faster, respiration growing more shallow, arousal stirring forcefully within him.

At last, Egeria's eyes rose to his. And then a very sultry smile curved her lips. She slowly advanced toward him, hips swaying invitingly.

"Are you ready to unwrap your present, my Daniel?" she purred.

His answer was to cross the distance between them, pull her hard against him, and consume her mouth in a kiss of voracious hunger, which Egeria returned with equal fervor, the raw passion inside them demanding that it finally be appeased.

Within moments, Egeria's legs were around Daniel's waist, her back up against a wall. His lips left hers to cover her neck with open-mouthed kisses as her hands slid over his naked upper body. When one of those hands found their way underneath the back of his pants, it drove a gasp from his throat.

Daniel pushed away from the wall and made his way to the bedroom to fall upon the bed with Egeria beneath him. They returned to each other's mouths, tongues mating again and again. Never taking his mouth from hers, Daniel managed to lower the zipper of her dress, and, between the two of them, they pulled it down to reveal her breasts covered in a lacy black bra, a match to the piece of material in the box. Not wasting time searching for where the piece came from, Daniel lowered his lips to the soft mounds, kissing his way down to the valley between them. Finding the front catch, he flicked it open and pushed the material aside, his mouth lowering to the exposed flesh.

The sensations of making love with Egeria were filling Daniel with rapture, not just in his body but in his heart as well, something he had not felt in such a very long time. He pulled her bra off as his lips countinued what they were doing, driving Egeria almost out of her mind with need. With desperate hands, Daniel got her dress all the way off, followed by her panties, which descended to the floor, soon joined by his pants and boxers. Fully naked at last, the lovers ran their hands over each other's bodies, driving their passion to a fever pitch, their touches growing progressively more intimate.

It was in the midst of this that it quite forcefully hit Daniel that, in this body, Egeria was a virgin. That realization tempered his passion with tenderness. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her. With that thought in mind, Daniel gently began to prepare her body for the union that would soon be coming.

Immersed in the sensation of Daniel's touch, Egeria began to feel her body rising toward culmination. But this was not what she wanted. She wanted to reach that peak with his body joined with hers.

Unable to wait a moment longer, she let him know what she wanted. He caught her eyes for a long, intense moment. Then he began to slowly, gently unite with her. There was a brief moment of pain for her, and then there was only pleasure for both of them. A little tremor passed through them, lungs rising and falling with quick, panting breaths as the sensation of their union washed through them.

Again, Daniel caught Egeria's eyes, asking silently if she was okay. In the green depth he saw that she was. Slowly, he began to move, the incredible feeling filling his whole body with ever-growing ecstasy. He was fighting not to lose control, to make love to her slowly this first time for her sake, but it soon became apparent that it was a losing battle. It felt too good, his passion too powerful to keep up the slow pace.

Egeria was ablaze with the rapture of their lovemaking, all pain now completely gone. She wanted him to lose control, to take them flying over the edge in a wild free fall of passion. The hand she had in his hair tightened, the other one grasping his hip tightly.

That touch proved to be too much for Daniel's control. With a low groan, he gave up on slow and gentle, the fire inside consuming him as he hurled full speed toward climax. And then, suddenly, Egeria was coming, a little scream rising from her throat as her climax exploded through her. A cry on his lips, Daniel came with her.

As the stunning power of their climaxes faded into the sweet, blissful afterglow, the lovers lay still, soaking in the wonderful feeling. At last, Daniel lifted his head and met Egeria's eyes. She cupped his cheek with her hand and softly said, "My Daniel."

Thinking about those words, Daniel knew that it was true. He _was_ hers, heart, body and soul. And it was time that he told her. He maneuvered onto his side, drawing her close once he'd pulled the covers over them. He then rose up on one elbow and gazed down at her.

"Do you recall what I told you when you confessed that you loved me?" he asked.

"I remember every word you ever spoke to me, Daniel. Every word."

"I told you that, if I'd met you later in my life, I might have fallen in love with you." Daniel brushed the backs of his fingers over her cheek. "I was right."

Realizing what he was saying, Egeria felt the most encompassing joy she'd ever experienced fill her soul. Tears flooded her eyes and fell down her face as she pulled Daniel's lips to hers in a deep kiss.

"I love you, Daniel," she murmured, "so very, very much."

"I love you," he whispered back to her, making her cry even harder. He covered her face in soft kisses, tasting the salty wetness. He then brushed the tears away with his fingers as he smiled into her eyes.

Egeria drew his head down to lie on the pillow next to hers. She pulled his body closer.

"When you told me that you were ready to love again and showed me that I was the one you had chosen, I wanted to believe that I already had that love," she said, "but I have wanted it for so long that I was afraid to believe that it was finally mine. But I realize now that I should not have been afraid, and I should have known that you had already given your love to me. It was there in every kiss you gave me, every touch of your hands." She looked into his eyes and saw it shining there, clear and strong. She knew that, no matter what, she would always see it there.

Laying her head on Daniel's shoulder, Egeria sighed in absolute bliss and closed her eyes. After several minutes of contented silence, Daniel felt her body relax as she slipped into sleep. With a happy smile, Daniel closed his own eyes. The last thought that drifted through his mind before sleep took him was that, if heaven did exist in some form, he had a feeling that Sha're was looking down on them and smiling.


	17. Chapter 17

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Hazily, Daniel awoke from sleep. All the memories of what happened last night filled his mind, and he smiled. He opened his eyes and looked at the woman lying naked in his arms. He could not help but think about the last time he awoke to find himself in bed with her. This time was oh so very different. He had absolutely no intention of leaving this bed any time soon. In fact. . . .

Slowly, Daniel began stroking Egeria's body, first her back, then moving to her front. Egeria awoke with a gasp.

"Hello," Daniel greeted in a low-pitched voice.

Egeria stared at his face, uncertainty and a touch of fear in her eyes.

Now concerned, Daniel asked, "Egeria, what's wrong."

"Is this a dream?"

Daniel cupped her face and took her mouth in a deep, possessive kiss, pouring all his love and passion into it. She clung to him, returning the kiss in full measure.

"Did that feel like a dream?" he asked. Egeria answered by pulling his mouth back down to hers.

Once their lips had separated, Daniel searched Egeria's eyes. "Did it hurt last night? I tried to go slow, but—"

Egeria halted his words with her fingers on his lips.

"It hurt only a little, Daniel, and only for a moment. It was nothing compared to the pleasure and joy you gave to me. I did not want you to make love to me slowly. My hunger for you was too great." She wrapped a leg around his waist. The tone of her voice dropped. "It still is."

His own passion blazing brightly again, Daniel yanked her mouth back to his. He rolled onto his back, pulling her upward to lie upon him.

Going slow never entered Egeria's mind as she quickly united her body with his, her movements making him cry out in ecstasy. Soon, they were barreling uncontrollably toward climax. It struck them simultaneously, hurtling them into orbit.

As soon as he had enough breath to do so, Daniel sealed his lips to Egeria's in a long, deep kiss. "No fair," he said. "You didn't give me a chance to get in some more practice on my rusty lovemaking skills."

Egeria smiled. "They are far from rusty, my Daniel. I apologize, though, for not giving you the chance to . . . practice. My desire for you overcame me." Seeing something flicker in his eyes, she suddenly recalled when she said almost the same thing to him: the night that she accidentally used her Nish'ta'el on him. Horrified, she cried, "Oh, Daniel, I am so sorry!"

She started to move off him, but he caught hold of her and gathered her close, shaking his head.

"No. It's all right, Egeria. What happened that night stopped hurting a very long time ago. It doesn't bother me." He laid his hand on her cheek and looked deeply into her eyes. "I don't want it to bother you either."

"But it does, Daniel. One of the greatest regrets of my life was the way I hurt you."

Daniel gently pulled her down to lie beside him, turning onto his side to face her. "Egeria, listen to me. Yes, it hurt when it happened, especially when I thought you did it deliberately, but it is in the past. I forgave you years ago. It's time that you forgive yourself. I love you, and I don't want you to keep feeling that guilt."

Tears pooled in Egeria's eyes. Daniel kissed them away, not wanting her to cry.

"I love you," he said again, this time in a whisper. He kissed her forehead, then her cheeks, then two more kisses on her eyelids. His lips descended her neck to her shoulder and collar bone, then down to the swell of her breasts. Egeria's eyes slid shut with pleasure. She was in heaven, his slow, purposeful attention to her body making her feel more loved than she had ever thought possible. It did not take very long before she was soaring upward and over the edge.

As she recovered, her eyes fluttered opened. Then she smiled. "You do not need any more practice, my love. You are surely an expert already."

A grin came to Daniel's lips, and he laughed. "I'm delighted you think so."

Egeria also smiled. "Yes, and, next time, I will have to reciprocate."

Just the thought of that reciprocation had Daniel's temperature rising. That, unfortunately, would have to wait for another time.

Daniel wished that he didn't have to go to work in the morning so that he could spend the whole day with Egeria. He glanced at the clock and saw that it was almost three a.m. He really should get some more sleep, but he didn't want to sleep. He wanted to lie here and soak in this feeling of being here with Egeria in his arms. He began to stroke his hand up and down her back slowly and softly. She sighed in contentment at the touch and laid her head on his chest.

"I cannot help but think of how my life would be if I had chosen to resume my place as the Tok'ra queen. By now, I would have spawned several hundred children and would have begun the task of teaching them. But I would have been doing so as a woman with a broken heart."

Daniel stopped stroking her back and wrapped his arms tighter around her.

"There are some who would say that I was a fool for giving up a life span of two thousand years or more, but what good would all those years have been if there had been no joy in my life? My life would have been spawning and teaching my children. There would have been nothing more for me, nothing to fill the void in my heart that saying goodbye to you would have created."

"Don't think about it, Egeria," Daniel told her. "You chose not to accept that life." He tilted her face up and met her eyes. "You chose me instead, and I can't tell you how happy I am that you did."

She pulled his mouth down to hers in a gentle kiss.

"I don't want to go to work today," he murmured against her lips.

"Then do not. From what I have heard, you often work on the days you are supposed to take off." Egeria smiled and began toying with one of his nipples. "I do not think that it would do any harm for you to stay home today."

As Egeria's fingers were replaced by her mouth, which began to suck on the little nub, Daniel let out a moan. He started to wonder if he'd be in any fit condition to take Egeria on that date he had planned, something he still fully intended to do.

Knowing that it was still far too soon to have any hope of this going all the way, Daniel rolled Egeria underneath him and captured her mouth in a deep kiss.

"I'm thinking, Egeria, that, if I'm going to be taking the day off, we should probably get some more sleep. I suspect that we're going to need it."

A little smile curved Egeria's lips. "I do believe that you are right, my Daniel."

Grinning, the archeologist kissed her again, then rolled onto his back. As Egeria settled back in her place beside him, he sighed happily and closed his eyes. It did not take long for both of them to fall asleep.

* * *

When Daniel awoke again, sunlight was streaming in through the curtains. He turned his head and found Egeria staring at him, an expression of pure joy on her face.

"Good morning," Daniel murmured, caressing her cheek.

Egeria smiled. "No better morning could there be. I am over four thousand years old, and yet I can say that, out of all those years, this is the happiest morning of my life."

Returning her smile, Daniel kissed her slowly and deeply. Just then, his stomach growled quite loudly, making them both laugh.

Egeria slid her hand down to it. "I believe that it is demanding your attention, my Daniel. We must not neglect it. Have you any food for breakfast?"

"I have eggs, cheese and some canned mushrooms, so we can make omelettes."

"I would make them for you, but I do not know how. You will have to teach me how to cook so that I can do so for you."

The idea of the woman who used to be the queen of the Tok'ra turning domestic and doing things like cooking and cleaning made him grin.

"I'm afraid that I'm not that great a cook," he told her. "Oh, I get by, but Julia Child I'm not."

"Julia Child?"

"A famous chef."

"Ah. Well, you know far more about cooking than I do. Both of my hosts knew how to cook, of course, but I never bothered gaining that knowledge from them."

"No, I should imagine that cooking wasn't something that Queen Egeria ever even considered doing."

When Daniel's stomach growled yet again, they both smiled.

"I guess it isn't going to leave me alone until I feed it," the archeologist said. "I'm going to take a shower first, though. Do you need to use the bathroom?"

"No, I am fine."

Daniel threw back the covers and got out of bed. He could feel Egeria's eyes on him, but he didn't dare turn around. He knew that if he did and saw the look that was probably in those eyes, neither one of them would be eating breakfast any time soon.

He made his shower a quick one. He came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist. Egeria, who was still in the bed, smiled upon seeing him. And then she did something that had him halting dead in his tracks. She slipped out of the bed and very slowly walked up to him. His respiration immediately quickening, he ran his gaze over her beautiful, naked body.

Egeria came all the way up to him. She placed her hands on his stomach, then drew them slowly upward, passing over his chest, then his shoulders and upper arms.

"I do believe, my Daniel, that if the artist who sculpted your statues saw you now, he would feel no need to take liberties with their musculature," Egeria murmured in a husky voice.

Before Daniel could reply, she ran her hands back down his body and very purposefully released the towel, which fell to the floor. She continued moving her gaze down his body, smiling upon seeing the effect she was having on him. She took the final step forward and pressed herself against him.

"I am hungry, too, Daniel," she said in a deep voice, "but it is not for food."

Daniel's control snapped. He lifted her up, spun around and pressed her up against the wall, his mouth crashing down upon hers. It took only moments for them to bring each other to full arousal, their bodies uniting yet again. Moving with barely controlled passion, Daniel felt himself very quickly approaching climax. She was rising on the tide just as quickly, her small cries gaining volume. And then she was going over the precipice, liquid fire flowing through her body. Daniel followed her over a few seconds later.

As their climaxes came to an end, neither of them moved for a while. Daniel's legs were shaking, and he was afraid they'd find themselves in a heap on the floor if he didn't sit down soon. Pushing away from the wall, he made it over to the bed. Instead of sitting, he fell back upon it, Egeria landing on top of him.

"At this rate, I may not survive till the end of the day," he said as his breathing slowed.

Egeria lifted up on her elbows and looked down at him. "Do not worry, Daniel. I will allow you sufficient time to recover before my hunger overwhelms me again."

"Oh, you will, huh? Well, I appreciate that."

He climbed off the bed and got to his feet. He found his boxers and slipped them on. He then smiled over his shoulder at her where she lay on the bed watching him.

"Come on. It's time to feed that other hunger. I'm starving."

Grabbing his T-shirt, he donned it as he headed to the kitchen. He was in the process of beating the eggs when Egeria joined him. He saw that she was wearing his robe. It swam on her, and she looked just so cute that he had to kiss her.

"I'll call the base after breakfast," he told her. "Of course, you do realize that, once Jack, Sam and Teal'c find out I took the day off, then discover that you aren't there either, they're all going to know what's going on." That's when he remembered something. "Wait a minute. Weren't you going to be staying at Sam's again last night?"

Egeria smiled. "That, my dear Daniel, was just part of my plan. Samantha was quite willing to help me."

The archeologist halted what he was doing and stared at her. "Are you saying that Sam was in on your plan to come over here and seduce me?"

"Yes. I could not have done it without her. I needed someplace to change. She also gave me a key so that I could get in if the door was locked."

Daniel started to blush. "Oh, God. How am I going to look in her eyes when I know what she's going to be thinking?"

"She will be thinking that you look like you are very happy."

Daniel wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. "Yes, probably the whole base will see that. I won't be able to keep myself from grinning like an idiot all day tomorrow."

Egeria watched Daniel closely throughout the process of making the omelettes, wanting to learn how to make them herself. He showed her how to use the toaster, and she toasted then buttered the bread, topping the slices with a bit of jam.

As they ate, Daniel couldn't stop his gaze from going often to the woman sitting across from him. The thought came to his mind that he would love it if she lived there with him. Then they could have breakfast like this every morning. He knew that it was way too soon to be thinking about things like that, but it was a pleasant thought anyway.

Once the food was gone and the dishes rinsed off, Daniel made the call to the base. For obvious reasons, he didn't explain why he was taking the day off, merely saying that it was for personal reasons.

The moment he hung up the phone, Egeria grabbed his hand and began tugging him toward the bedroom.

"Are you fully recovered yet?" she asked with a smile as they reached the room. She pushed him down on the bed and climbed on top of him, the robe falling open to reveal her body to his gaze.

"I guess we're going to find out," Daniel replied as he yanked her mouth down to his. They soon discovered that he was, indeed, sufficiently recovered.

Egeria kept her promise of letting Daniel recover between bouts of lovemaking, though, sometimes, it was just barely. She was ravenous for him, all the centuries of wanting something she had believed she could never have making her desire for him insatiable.

As for Daniel, he was desperately wishing that he was around ten years younger. He was extremely glad that he was in good physical condition and didn't have a weak heart since, as many times as Egeria sent his heart rate and blood pressure up that morning and afternoon, he'd have surely keeled over from a heart attack if the pump in his chest wasn't in good working order.

It was five o'clock when he told her that he still planned on taking her out on a date that night.

"Dinner and dancing?" she asked with a smile.

"Yep."

"Shall I wear my red dress again?"

"Absolutely not. You'll have every man in the place lusting after you."

Egeria smiled at the comment. "Then I guess it is a good thing that I brought another dress with me."

"You did? Where is it?"

"In a bag near the front door."

"I didn't even notice it."

Egeria ran a fingertip over his chest. "Well, I have been keeping you quite busy today."

The archeologist chuckled and kissed her. "Yes, you have."

Daniel got ready for the date first. He was then banned from the bedroom and bathroom as Egeria got ready. He was flipping through a magazine when he heard her come out. He looked up, and the breath whooshed right out of him. She was wearing the green dress, the dress that had made both his body and heart ache for her when he first saw it on her. This time, she was also wearing the black shoes and had piled her long black hair high on her head.

He got to his feet and stared at her. "You are so beautiful," he murmured huskily. "The red dress is gorgeous and really sexy, but that one . . ." he smiled, "that one makes you look like a goddess."

Egeria came toward him with a smile. She caressed his cheek. "If I am a goddess, Daniel, then you are most surely a god."

Daniel let out a little snort. "Hardly. I am just a mere mortal held in thrall by you."

"Oh, not so, my Daniel, for I, too, am held in thrall, and no goddess would be so utterly enthralled by a mere mortal."

Letting out a little laugh, Daniel held out his arm for her to take. "Well, in that case, shall we go to dinner, my goddess? This god is getting hungry."

Daniel and Egeria both enjoyed dinner very much, spending much of it talking. The dark-haired woman's eyes had gone often to the couples dancing, studying their movements. She wanted very much to learn how to dance so that she could do so with Daniel.

She was looking that way when Daniel got to his feet and held his hand out to her.

"Dance?" he asked softly.

He took her out onto the dance floor and wrapped an arm around her waist loosely, the other taking her hand. Slowly, they started to move, Daniel instructing Egeria in a low voice. She was hesitant and nervous at the start, but then the feeling of swaying in time to the music with Daniel so close to her made the nervousness fade away. She began to enjoy herself, her movements growing more confident. Seeing this, Daniel started moving them around the dance floor a bit. After a while, he let go of her hand, and his arm joined the other one around her waist, pulling her closer. Both of her arms lifted to encircle his neck.

Daniel pressed a kiss to her forehead, then one to her cheek.

"I love you," he whispered.

Egeria ran her fingers through his hair and pressed her cheek against his. "And I love you."

They danced through three more songs before returning to their table, where they ordered dessert. Egeria had lots of fun feeding Daniel pieces of her chocolate truffle cake as he did the same with his strawberry cheesecake, a dessert that Egeria instantly decided that she liked just as much as chocolate.

After leaving the restaurant, Daniel drove Egeria up to a lookout point, one that he knew was popular with lovers. It being a weekday night, they had the place to themselves. From their place on the hood of Daniel's SUV, they looked down at the city lights of Colorado Springs.

"I could not have imagined that I would ever be so happy," Egeria said. She looked at the man beside her. "You have given me so much joy."

"You've done the same for me, Egeria. Before I got you back, I could probably count on the fingers of one hand the number of times since Sha're was taken that I felt anything that I could call joy. And, now, for the first time in a really long time, I'm looking forward to each day."

Egeria drew his lips down to hers in a soft kiss. She gave a little shiver as a cool breeze kicked up.

"Are you cold?" Daniel asked.

"A little."

"Come on, then. Let's go back home."

Egeria smiled upon hearing him say that, as if it was not just his home, but hers as well. She would have to see about bringing some of her clothes over there so that she would have things to wear when she stayed the night.

Back at Daniel's place, Egeria told Daniel to get ready for bed. She then grabbed the bag that she'd brought with her and, with a mysterious smile, went into the bathroom.

Eager to see what she was putting on, Daniel stripped down to his boxers and got in bed, propping his back up with pillows. He'd been there for just a few minutes when Egeria came back out.

Daniel's breath drew in sharply upon seeing what she was wearing. It was a sheer white open cup babydoll and matching g-string, neither of which did much in the way of covering anything.

She slowly approached the bed, giving him plenty of time to stare at her body and for his arousal to shoot upward. She then climbed onto his lap.

"Does it please you, my Daniel?" Egeria asked in a sexy voice. His answer was to take her mouth in a deep, passionate kiss, strip the babydoll from her body, and make love to her with wild abandon.

After it was over, they just sat and held each other for a long time as Daniel's breathing gradually slowed.

"I believe I am going to quite enjoy seeing your reaction to all the other lingerie I purchased," Egeria said.

The comment made Daniel start to laugh. He cupped Egeria's face in his hands and kissed her.

"God, I love you," he said with intense emotion, feeling like his heart was going to burst with happiness.

Egeria smiled into his eyes and caressed his face. "No more than I love you, my Daniel."

They shared another kiss, then Egeria got off his lap. Daniel used the bathroom, then, leaving his boxers behind, crawled into the bed with Egeria. It did not take long for her to fall asleep.

As Daniel lay staring into the dark, Egeria's sleeping form close beside him, he made a wish that every day could be as happy as this one. He knew it was a wish that could not come true, but he hoped that, now that Egeria was in his life, each day would have many moments of happiness.

* * *

As it turned out, Daniel was right about him grinning like an idiot at work the next day. He didn't have the smile plastered on his face all the time, but whenever he thought about the events of the previous day, out it came.

He and Egeria had eaten breakfast at his place, so, as of ten a.m., Daniel hadn't seen any of his teammates yet. That changed fifteen minutes later when Jack walked in.

"So, have a nice day off?" the grey-haired man asked with the slightest of smirks.

"Yes, I did, and, to answer your next question, so did Egeria."

"Finally took her out on that date?"

"I did."

Jack studied Daniel's bland expression. It was pretty obvious that the guy wasn't going to volunteer any more information than was necessary. But Jack already had a pretty good idea what some of yesterday's activities had been. When he learned that Daniel had taken the day off and that Egeria never came back to the base, Jack had no doubt of what was going on. Knowing that Egeria was supposed to have been spending the night at Sam's, he asked her if she knew anything. She clammed up tight, and nothing he said would get her to talk, still more evidence to support his theory.

"Well, I'm glad that you two finally got together," Jack said. "Maybe now that you have a woman in your life, you'll do something about those god-awful masks in your bedroom."

Daniel frowned. "What's wrong with the masks?"

"Are you kidding me? If I woke up in the middle of the night and saw those things staring at me, I'd probably have heart failure. I _know_ they'd give me nightmares."

"They haven't given _me_ nightmares, so I guess that's what counts."

"And what about Egeria?"

The tiniest of smiles curved Daniel's lips as he recognized the question for what it was. Jack was fishing.

"What about Egeria?" the archeologist answered, his tone and voice the very soul of innocence.

Jack stared at him narrowly. "You're not going to give me even the teeniest morsel, are you."

"Nope."

"Fine. You don't have to anyway. I already have a good idea what you two were up to yesterday."

Daniel turned back to his computer. "Well, then I guess there's nothing more to discuss on that subject, is there."

"I suppose not. And since there's nothing else I can think of to talk about at the moment, I'll be toddling along."

"See you later, Jack."

Daniel waited until he was certain that Jack was really gone before letting the grin out. The grin got even bigger at the sight of the next person to walk in. Egeria came right over and plopped down onto his lap. She took his mouth in an intense kiss.

"Mmm. I am missing you already," she said.

"Me too."

Egeria smiled. "Perhaps we can have lunch together in my quarters." The look in her eyes told Daniel that they probably wouldn't be doing much eating if they did that.

That's when Daniel realized that they were going to have to set some ground rules. He said so to Egeria.

"Ground rules?" she questioned.

"What we can and cannot do during working hours, and I'm afraid that no sex is going to have to be one of the rules."

"I do agree that, when we are supposed to be working, we should not be engaged in such activities, but, surely, what we do on our break time for meals is up to us." She began teasing one of his nipples through his T-shirt. "Is it not?"

Daniel thought about that. Seeing as they were both civilians, and the base was actually Egeria's home, engaging in "such activities" during break times might not be breaking any rules if it was done in either her quarters or his. He didn't know that for sure, though, and he certainly wasn't going to ask if it was. Regardless, he knew that he really should stand firm to a no sex during working hours rule. It would be the safest and most prudent thing to do.

He was just about to say that when one of Egeria's hands got under his shirt, and she scraped her fingernails lightly over his ribs, her other hand surreptitiously going to his crotch. Her touch there made him gasp.

"You're not going to take no for an answer, are you," he guessed.

Egeria smiled. "What makes you say that, my Daniel?" she asked as she continued what she was doing.

Unable to take it anymore, he grabbed her hands and pulled them away from his body, oh so close to giving into her. "Is this some new form of torture? Because I have to say that it's way more effective than painsticks."

Egeria did not respond, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

Daniel was a hair's breath away from saying yes. Instead, he said, "I may change my answer in the future, but I have to stick with no for now. Jack was already here trying to pry information from me about what you and I were doing yesterday. If we don't show up in the commissary for lunch, and he finds out from someone where we were, he's going to know that we weren't eating in there, and I really don't feel like having to suffer through the smirk that will be on his face."

Egeria sighed. "Yes, I suppose that you are right." She got off his lap. "I will see you for lunch in the commissary, then?"

"I'll be there."

After she was gone, Daniel sagged in his chair. Damn. Faced with stubborn colonels, murderous Goa'uld, brutal torture, and other such things, and he didn't budge an inch, his will power holding firm. Faced with one lone female who knew exactly how to touch him to elicit the most pleasure, and he nearly crumpled like a wet noodle. How pathetic was that? Then again, considering the method of "torture" used this time, was it any wonder?

With a little smile on his face, Daniel got back to work.


	18. Chapter 18

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Sam was absolutely dying of curiosity. The fact that both Daniel and Egeria were gone all day yesterday must mean that things the night before went very well.

Sam smiled as she thought back to the day Egeria came to her lab to discuss her plan for Daniel's birthday.

_"I am in need of your help," the former queen of the Tok'ra said._

_"Um, sure. What do you need?"_

_"It is regarding Daniel's birthday. I have not purchased a gift for him."_

_"Would you like me to take you out shopping for one? We could do it tonight."_

_"That would be appreciated. However, the true gift I wish to give him is not one that will be purchased."_

_Sam was getting curious. "What kind of gift are you talking about?"_

_Egeria lips curved into a small smile. "I wish to go to his home that night wearing the red dress I purchased."_

_"Oh." Sam's eyes widened when she realized what Egeria was really saying. "Ohhh!" She cleared her throat. "Um . . . I see. Well, that's . . . going to be quite a, uh, present."_

_Egeria's smile got a little bigger. "Yes, I believe that Daniel will be pleased."_

_"I bet. So, what do you need me for?"_

Egeria had gone on to explain that she didn't want to come all the way back to the base to change clothes, then find someone to take her to Daniel's house. She asked if she could change at Sam's. The major told her that would be fine, then came up with the idea to tell everyone that Egeria was spending the night at her place to make everything easier.

It was when they were out shopping for another gift for Egeria to give to Daniel that the two women came up with the idea of putting a piece of lace from the bra or panties that Egeria would be wearing into a box along with a note. Not wanting to damage the underwear she would actually be wearing, Egeria got a pair of panties that were identical and cut the lace from it.

In the days that followed, Sam often thought about the fact that she was helping Egeria seduce her teammate and best friend, most definitely not something she'd ever have imagined herself doing for anyone. Of course, she'd known that the seduction wouldn't be unwelcome. Just the opposite, in fact.

Now, Sam was really curious about how everything went. She knew that she shouldn't be thinking about it. It was private, after all. Asking about something to do with Daniel's love life would be _going_ way over the line. But the curiosity remained. She just couldn't help it.

Finally, Sam couldn't take it anymore. She decided that it wouldn't do any harm to simply ask Egeria if everything went well.

Sam ascended the stairs to Level 18 and made her way to Egeria's new lab. Fortunately, it was closer to the stairs and elevator than Daniel's office was, which meant that she didn't have to pass his room to get there.

"Hey. How's it going?" Sam asked the woman sitting at the desk.

"It is going well," Egeria replied.

The major came forward. "Sooo . . . how, uh, did things go with you and Daniel?"

The smile that graced Egeria's face could definitely be called dreamy. "It was the most glorious night of my life, and yesterday was equally so. We made love many times. No other man has given me so much pleasure."

Sam just stood there, blinking. Okaaay, that was a whole lot more information than she was planning on getting. Maybe she needed to explain the concept of TMI to Egeria.

Sam cleared her throat. "Um . . . wow. That's . . . that's great, Egeria."

The dark-haired woman studied her expression. "You are embarrassed by what I revealed."

"Well, Daniel is my teammate, and, generally, that topic is not exactly polite to discuss regarding a teammate."

"I am sorry. The Goa'uld have a different viewpoint about sex, as do the Tok'ra, and I sometimes forget that it is something not so freely discussed in your society."

"Well, that all depends on the circumstances," Sam explained. "Sometimes, it's _quite_ freely discussed, and there is a whole lot of sex in movies and on TV. We're not a bunch of prudes. If you were talking about some guy I didn't know, I might want you to tell me all about it." Sam thought about that. "Okay, I'd probably still feel uncomfortable if you got into too much detail. Some women love to hear all the details, but I've never been that sort. Anyway, with Daniel being a teammate and a friend, the . . . rules are sort of different."

"I understand, and you are right. This is not something I should discuss, for it would be displaying a lack of respect for Daniel. It is a private thing between us."

"Right. Exactly." Sam smiled. "I am really glad that you and Daniel had a wonderful night and day, though. For quite a while now, I've wondered if he would ever find someone to take Sha're's place. He loved her so much."

"Yes, I know that he loved her deeply. When I first met him and throughout all the months that passed while he was on Estrania, his love for her never wavered even though she was dead. He told me that he had been with no other woman since her death."

"Yeah, as far as I know, he never even dated anyone, not then and not later. There was one woman he became interested in, but things didn't turn out well." Sam looked at Egeria closely. "You should know, though, that I really think Daniel loves you just as much as he did Sha're. When he thought that you and he would have to say goodbye and could never be together, it was really hurting him. I haven't seen him hurting that much since Sha're died."

Egeria smiled. "I know that he loves me greatly. He told me so many times and in many ways yesterday. I cannot express to you how happy it makes me to know that I have his love. I have wanted it for so very long."

Sam could see the joy shining in the woman's eyes, and it made her happy. She bet that when she saw Daniel, she'd see the same look in his eyes.

Half an hour later, Sam found out that she was right when she joined Egeria and her teammates for lunch. In all the years that she'd known him, she had never seen Daniel looking so relaxed and happy. He actually looked younger, as if all the sorrow, hardship and pain etched into his face over the years had been smoothed away.

Like Sam, Teal'c saw the difference in his teammate and was very pleased by it. He had long blamed himself for the greatest measure of sorrow in Daniel's life. When Sha're was still alive, he had hoped that Daniel's main source of joy would be returned to him, easing one tiny portion of Teal'c's guilt. Not only did that hope die the day he was forced to kill her, his burden of guilt was made even heavier.

Now that Daniel had found a new woman to love, and joy had returned to his life, Teal'c could not be happier for his teammate. It did not remove the burden of guilt over what became of Daniel's wife, but it made Teal'c feel good that his friend no longer suffered the grief of Sha're's death.

They were almost finished with their meals when Ferretti came over. Egeria had met him briefly at the Fourth of July picnic, but didn't have an opportunity to talk to him for very long.

"Howdy, everyone," he greeted with a grin.

"Hey, Ferretti," Jack said. "What's up?"

"Actually, I am here to borrow this lovely lady for a little while," the lieutenant colonel said, gesturing at Egeria. "Well, not for me personally. It's for one of my team, the new kid, Perkins. He's been asking me about the differences between the Goa'uld and the Tok'ra, and I figured, hey, why not get the expert to answer them?"

Egeria smiled. "I would be happy to answer whatever questions he might have."

"Great! I can wait around for you to finish eating, and we can go do it now, if that's okay."

"That will be fine."

As Egeria finished eating, Ferretti chatted with the others. Once she was done, he took her to meet Airman Nate Perkins. The young airman was quite nervous about talking with her in the beginning, but soon loosened up. Ferretti hung around as Egeria filled Nate in on the history of the Tok'ra – starting with how she created them – their philosophies and beliefs, and their determination to destroy the Goa'uld. In the process, Lou learned a few things, too, things that affected his viewpoint of the Tok'ra.

Ferretti finally excused himself to go take care of something. Twenty minutes later, he was on his way back when he heard a bit of conversation that had him halting in his tracks. A man, whose voice he recognized as that of Marine Sergeant Ed Grossman, had just commented that he wondered what it was like to have sex with a Goa'uld, using a very crass term for the act.

"She isn't a Goa'uld," said someone else, who sounded like Lieutenant Bryce Donnelley. "Especially not now. She's human now."

"Yeah, but she used to be one, and I'd bet a hundred bucks that Jackson did her sometime during those six months that he was back in time, and I'd bet another hundred that it was more than once. I heard that she was lusting for him right from the start. I'm thinking that's why she made him a slave, so that she could get into his pants, or whatever it is that slaves there wore." Grossman laughed. "Yeah, there he is in her palace, at her beck and call day and night. I wonder how many nights he heeded her call and took care of her 'needs'."

Ferretti had decided that he'd heard enough. He marched around the corner and up to the two men. The lieutenant saw him first and immediately straightened his posture. Grossman turned around just in time to receive a shove.

"You listen to me, you pathetic excuse for a Marine," Ferretti snapped. "I don't want you saying another word like that again, _ever_! Doctor Jackson and Egeria deserve our respect, not trash talk."

"Look, Ferretti—"

"No, _you_ look. I don't care what you think went on during the months that Daniel was back in time. You don't talk like that about them. How'd you like it if I started trash talking about you and your wife, huh? Would you like that?" Ferretti poked a finger hard into Grossman's chest. "Not one more word, Grossman. I mean it. Because if I hear that you've been at it again, it won't be General Hammond that I tell, it'll be all of Daniel's teammates. If you manage to remain all in one piece by the time Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c get through with you, I bet Major Carter will be able to think up some nasty little science experiment to try on you. Now, get out of here before I decide to break your nose."

Grossman glared at Ferretti, then left.

"I'm sorry, sir," Donnelley said. "I didn't much care for the way he was talking either. I should have just walked away and refused to listen. I hope you don't think that there are a lot of guys who think like that. Sure, some of us wonder about what happened while Doctor Jackson was back in time, but even if something did go on between him and Egeria, that's their business."

Ferretti patted the younger man's shoulder. "Don't sweat it, Bryce." He looked at his watch. "Doesn't your shift at the number two checkpoint start in five minutes?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then you'd better get going before you're late."

Donnelley hurried off down the hall. Ferretti retraced his steps and rounded the corner – to come face-to-face with Egeria.

_'Oh, shit,'_ he cursed.

"Um . . . hey," he greeted, putting on a fake smile. "All finished with Tok'ra 101? I have to say that you're a more interesting teacher than a lot of the ones I had in school."

"Yes, I have finished talking to Airman Perkins about the Tok'ra. I finished several minutes ago."

Ferretti repeated the silent curse. "Uhhhh, did you hear any of that stuff that just went on?" _'Please say no.'_

"Yes, I did."

The lieutenant colonel uttered a few more curses in his head that would have gotten his mouth washed out with soap if his mother had heard them.

His smile was no doubt looking pretty sickly now. "Um . . . how much?"

"I did not hear what the man you called Grossman said about Daniel and me, but I heard enough of your response to know that what he said was not pleasant and polite."

Sending thanks heavenward that Egeria hadn't heard Grossman's statements, Ferretti said, "Okay, you need to understand that Grossman is an ass. What he said is not a viewpoint shared by most of the people here."

"And what is his viewpoint?"

"Come on. You can't ask me to tell you what he said! No way!"

"How can I defend myself and Daniel if I do not know what the accusations are? From what I did hear, I am assuming that it was regarding sexual activities."

Ferretti squirmed uncomfortably. "Uh . . . yeeaahh."

Egeria nodded. "It would be understandable that, given the fact that some may have learned about the feelings I had toward Daniel when he was on Estrania, they would wonder what may have happened between us. I will tell you that Daniel was still very much in love with his wife and made it clear quite early on that he had no desire to bed any woman now that she was dead. I will also tell you that, though I desired him, I would never have used my position as queen and the one who owned him to coerce him into having sex with me."

Ferretti noticed that she didn't actually say that they never had sex back then, but what she _did_ say confirmed his belief that, if it happened, it wasn't even remotely like what Grossman said.

"Thanks for telling me that. Not that I needed to hear it. I already knew that Grossman was full of it." He studied the woman appraisingly. "You know, you're one cool customer. Most women would have been really offended by this whole thing."

Egeria smiled slightly. "Well, I still do not know what he said. Perhaps I _would_ be offended if I knew that."

"Well, you're not hearing it from me. You can torture me if you like, but there's no way I'm telling you."

Egeria's smile got a little bigger. "I am no longer a Goa'uld, so I do not torture people."

"I am so pleased to hear you say that. I am very fond of all my body parts."

Egeria's smile faded. "I do wish to thank you for defending mine and Daniel's honor."

"Don't mention it. I don't stand for talk like that about _any_ woman, and, as for Daniel, well, we go a long ways back, as far back as he and Jack do. I was on the first mission through the gate with them. Daniel was the one who got us home, and he and the colonel were the ones who took care of Ra. He's a good guy, and he's a friend, too, so, I'm not gonna let anyone talk like that about him. I just hope he doesn't find out about this. He'll blow a gasket if he does."

* * *

Sergeant Grossman strode down the corridor, heading for the commissary. Seeing a friend of his, he stopped to chat. They were about five minutes into the conversation when the gaze of the man he was talking to went to something over Grossman's shoulder. The sergeant turned around. He had about two seconds to register the identity of the person standing before him before he found himself sitting on his ass. Grabbing the jaw that just had a fist slammed into it, he stared up at the man who hit him.

Jack had once likened an angry Daniel's eyes to two oxyacetylene torches. If he was there at that moment, he'd probably now liken them to two solar flares from a blue giant sun, racing out into space to incinerate everything in their path – and the unfortunate Sergeant Grossman was right at the focal point of the ocular inferno.

"You can say anything you want about me, Grossman," Daniel spit out in almost a growl, "but if you _ever_ say another word like that about Egeria, I'll make you wish that you hadn't."

The sergeant got to his feet, saying nothing. An audience had begun to gather. Most of the people were pretty shocked to have seen the normally peaceful Daniel deck a Marine who probably outweigh him by twenty pounds. The archeologist's hands were still curled into fists, and he looked like he was close to ripping Grossman to pieces – or at least trying his level best to do so.

At that moment, someone pushed their way through the crowd.

"What the hell's going on here?" asked Jack. He first looked at Daniel. Seeing the state that his teammate was in, his gaze went to the person the archeologist was apparently trying to immolate with the power of his gaze alone. Noting the way that Grossman was touching his jaw, it was pretty easy to figure out what had happened. The question now was why.

"So, is someone going to tell me what this is all about?" he asked. Neither man said a word. "All right, have it your way. Let's take this up with the general."

The trip to Hammond's office was interesting, especially the time spent in the elevator. Rage was pouring off Daniel in almost palpable waves, and Jack was amazed that the ambient temperature in the elevator didn't go up. As for Grossman, he was staring at the floor, his expression impossible to read.

In Hammond's office, Jack briefly told the base commander what happened. The general focused his gaze upon the other two men.

"All right, I want to know what this is about." He looked at Daniel. "Doctor Jackson?"

"Sergeant Grossman made a remark about me and Egeria that I took exception to," the archeologist said in a clipped tone.

"I see." The general's eyes went to Grossman. "And what was this remark?"

"I would prefer not to repeat it, sir," the sergeant replied.

"Oh, that isn't gonna fly, Grossman," said Jack, "especially since it's pretty obvious that, whatever it was, it was something that should never have left your mouth. Daniel doesn't go around punching people for no good reason. Actually, he doesn't go around punching people at _all_. So, what idiotic thing did you say to make him want to eviscerate you?"

The sergeant paused for several seconds. "I made a comment regarding Doctor Jackson and his relationship with Egeria during the months that he was back in time."

Jack's eyes narrowed. "His relationship with her?"

"Yes, sir."

Jack had a pretty good idea what the specific relationship topic had been. He looked at Daniel, whose jaw was clenched tight.

"Daniel?"

"I'm not repeating what he said."

There was a knock on the doorjamb. Everyone turned to see Ferretti standing there.

"I think I can shed some light on this," he said.

"Oh?" Jack responded. "How's that?"

"I overheard what Sergeant Grossman said and had my own little . . . discussion with him."

Jack looked back at the sergeant, who now appeared to be a little nervous.

"All right," Hammond said. "Doctor Jackson, Sergeant Grossman, I want you to wait out in the briefing room. And I want you to be on your best behavior. If there is an outburst, you will both be spending time in the brig. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," both men replied at the same time.

They left the office, Daniel sitting down at the table while Grossman went over on the far wall. Jack watched them for a few seconds, then shut the door.

"Please recount to us what Sergeant Grossman said, Colonel Ferretti," Hammond instructed.

"Uh, his actual words, sir, or should I . . . paraphrase."

"His actual words."

Ferretti did as asked. After just the first sentence, Jack's blood pressure was already elevated. By the time he finished, the grey-haired man felt like going out into the briefing room and following up Daniel's punch with one of his own.

"Well, there's no mystery as to why Daniel clocked him one," he said. "Frankly, he showed a lot of restraint by throwing just one punch. If I'd been him, I would have ripped Grossman's head off. So, what are we going to do about this, General?"

A severe frown on his face, it was obvious that Hammond was sickened by what Grossman had said.

"I will, of course, strongly reprimand the sergeant," he replied. "I do not tolerate talk like that on my base."

"And Daniel? I don't think he should be reprimanded for doing what most men in his position would have done. Grossman had it coming."

"I agree with you for the most part, Colonel. However, I cannot let an attack on a fellow member of the personnel while on duty go without a reprimand of some sort. I'll go easy on him, though."

"And what about the future?" Ferretti asked. "Daniel may be the kind of guy who doesn't hold a grudge, but he's not going to forget what Grossman said."

"I guess we just have to hope that they don't bump into each other again," Jack replied.

* * *

"I'm sorry."

Daniel looked up from the table to stare at the man across the room.

"I shouldn't have said what I did," the sergeant said. "It was out of line."

"Yes, it was," Daniel responded in an angry voice.

"Colonel Ferretti tore me a new one when he heard what I said. He asked me how I'd feel if someone talked like that about me and my wife. Later on, I got to thinking about that. If I'd heard somebody say stuff like that about my wife, I'd tear their throat out with my bare hands. I don't blame you for wanting to do the same. There's really nothing more I can say than that and to apologize again."

Daniel gradually felt his temper cool. He was still mad, but he was no longer seeing red.

"There's something that I want to make clear to you," he said. "I was not Egeria's lover during those months. She knew almost from the start that I was a widower and that I still loved my wife and had no interest in sex with someone else. She never once tried to force me or deliberately seduce me into having sex with her. And it would have been extremely easy for her to do so. I don't think you were here when Hathor took control of every human male on this base, but I'm betting that you heard about it."

"Yes, I heard about it."

"Then you know what Goa'uld queens are capable of doing. All she would have had to do was breathe on me with that drug, and I'd have done whatever she wanted me to. I couldn't have resisted her. Any other Goa'uld queen in her place would have done just that, but she never even considered it. I want you to think about that."

Grossman nodded, feeling even worse now.

Just then, the office door opened, and both Jack and Ferretti came out.

"He wants to talk to you," the colonel said to Grossman.

Straightening his posture, the sergeant went into the office and shut the door, prepared to take whatever punishment the general gave him.

Jack stared at his teammate. "He had it coming, Daniel."

"Yes, he did, but I should have cooled off before I went to find him. If he'd tried to hit me back, I wouldn't have been able to stay in control. I'd probably have tried my best to put him in the infirmary. I was . . . really angry, angrier than I've been in a very, very long time."

"You're telling me! I thought you were going to roast the guy to ashes with that look you were giving him. If I'm ever on the receiving end of a look like that, I'm taking out extra life insurance."

"Well, it's over now. While you guys were in there, he apologized."

Ferretti was surprised by that. "He did?"

"Yeah, partly because of what you said to him about how he'd feel if someone talked like that about him and his wife. That made him realize that he was out of line."

"So, how did you find out? I know that Egeria didn't. . . ." The look that sprang up on Daniel's face halted Ferretti's sentence and made him realize he'd just made a mistake.

"Egeria heard him, too?" the archeologist yelled, jumping to his feet.

_'Damn,'_ Jack was thinking. He was also thinking, _'Danger, danger, Will Robinson.'_

"No, no, no!" Ferretti quickly said, seeing an impending explosion. "She didn't hear what he said. She just overheard me dressing him down. We talked about it afterwards, and she was cool about the whole thing."

"I need to talk to her," Daniel said.

"I don't think you would be getting out of that anyway," Jack responded. "I'd say the entire base is going to hear about you knocking Grossman on his ass."

Ferretti was now grinning. "Oh, yeah."

The office door opened, and Grossman came out, resembling a child who'd just been raked over the coals by his father. He slunk past them and hurriedly left.

"I'd say that it's your turn now, Daniel," Jack said.

Nodding, Daniel went into the office and closed the door.

"Please take a seat, Doctor Jackson," Hammond said.

Daniel did so. "Before you say anything, sir, I want to apologize. I shouldn't have hit him, especially not here on the base. I'm not the kind of man who normally resorts to violence. I just lost control of my temper when I heard what he'd said about Egeria."

General Hammond made note of the fact that Daniel had specified that it was the slur on Egeria that made him angry. It really wasn't surprising. Daniel probably would have taken anything that Grossman might have said about him and done nothing about it.

"I can fully understand why you were angry, Son," the general said. "If I was a younger man and it was my girlfriend or wife that such a thing was said about, I believe that I'd have done the same thing. However, you are right that you should not have struck him. Violence between members of the personnel when they are on duty is something that cannot be tolerated."

"Yes, sir."

Hammond smiled ever so slightly. "Therefore, if a situation ever comes up like this again, I expect you to do the equivalent of asking him to meet you outside after class."

Shocked by the statement, Daniel stared at the man. "So, you're telling me to tell them to meet me someplace after they get off duty, and _then_ clock them one?"

"Well, perhaps you could attempt to talk things out first."

Daniel almost smiled, thinking that, even after all this time, this man could still surprise him. "I'll keep that in mind, sir."

"All right, then. You are dismissed. I'd suggest that you go straight to the infirmary."

"The infirmary? Why?"

"Take a look at your hand."

Daniel looked down at his right hand and saw that the knuckles were bruised and swollen. Of course, it was at that moment that the pain finally impacted upon his awareness.

"Ow."

"Yes, that's something they usually don't show in movies and TV shows, that it hurts like hell when you punch a guy in the jaw."

When Daniel exited the office, he saw that Jack and Ferretti were gone. He headed down to the infirmary, not looking forward to Janet's reaction.

"I figured that I might be seeing you soon," she said upon his entrance.

Daniel sighed, guessing that news of the altercation had already reached the infirmary.

Janet waved him over to an exam table. "So, how much damage did you do to yourself?" Daniel held up his hand, and she examined it, making him wince. "Well, I don't think it's broken, but we'd better take some x-rays to make sure." Her eyes met his. "How are you doing otherwise?"

"I'm okay. So, how much do you know?"

"I know that you punched Sergeant Grossman hard enough to knock him down, and I know a little about why, though not the whole story. Come on. Let's get those x-rays. Then we can talk."

The x-rays showed that there were no fractures, so Janet wrapped the hand and told Daniel to soak it in ice water, giving him some medication to put in the water. She then led him to her office.

"You and I have never talked about what happened while you were back in time," she said. "The general gave me a copy of your report, and I know that you went through a great deal during those months. But there was a lot that you didn't say in that report, including details of your relationship with Egeria."

"And you want to know if there's any truth to what Grossman said."

"If what I heard in the rumor about what he said was accurate, then I have no doubt that he was way off-base. I know you, Daniel, and, though I haven't spent a great deal of time with Egeria, what time I _have_ spent with her leads me to believe that she would not have done what Grossman said."

"You're right about that. Even though she was a Goa'uld queen and the ruler of that planet, she never took advantage of me or tried to force me to do something I didn't want to do . . . well, other than making me a slave."

"So, she never used her pheromone drug on you." When Daniel's gaze dropped from Janet's, a warning flag went up in her head. She stared at him intently. "Daniel?"

The archeologist sighed. "I suppose I was going to have to tell you this eventually."

Daniel recounted to the doctor what happened the night that Egeria accidentally lost control and used her Nish'ta'el on him.

"Oh, dear," Janet said. "I'm so sorry, Daniel. I can only imagine how you must have felt."

"I don't think I've ever felt more betrayed than I did when I thought she did it on purpose. It helped a lot knowing that it was an accident and that she hadn't even realized what happened, but it still hurt. But it hurt Egeria just as much. She was so riddled with guilt that she didn't go out in the sun even when she started feeling the pain. By the time I went to her, she was in agony. Even after all these years, she still feels guilty." Daniel paused. "There's one other thing you should know. A few days before that night, Egeria asked me to be the one to donate the DNA for the Tok'ra larvae. I refused and ended up telling her about Hathor. After . . . it happened, I told her to go ahead and use my DNA."

Janet blinked in surprise. "Daniel, are you saying that the Tok'ra were created using your genetic material?"

"Some of them were, most of whom are dead now. Selmak and Aranae, the new Tok'ra queen, are among the few who are left. And, in case you're wondering, most of the Tok'ra don't know that. Selmak and Aranae are the only ones who do, though it's possible that some others might be wondering about it."

"What about General Hammond and your teammates?"

"Jack, Sam and Teal'c know the whole story. Hammond only knows that my DNA was used for the first batches of Tok'ra, not the details on how Egeria got it. Needless to say, this is not information I want made common knowledge, both for my own sake and Egeria's."

"Of course. I will keep it out of your medical file. Though, technically, I should put it in there since you were exposed to the pheromone drug, I don't really think it's necessary, just as I saw no need to add to your file what Hathor did to you."

"Thanks, Janet. I really appreciate that."

"All right. I think we're done." The doctor smiled. "Try not to punch anyone else, okay? Next time, you might not be so lucky and escape with just a sore hand."

After leaving the infirmary, Daniel went straight to Egeria's lab. When he got there, he found the woman staring at nothing, a frown on her face. She became aware of his presence and met his eyes. The expression in the green depths told Daniel that she'd heard what he did. She then saw his bandaged hand, and her expression changed to dismay.

"You are injured!" she cried, leaping to her feet.

"It's not serious, Egeria. It's just, um, a little bruised and swollen." He attempted a half-smile. "Sergeant Grossman has a hard jaw."

The joke fell flat as the dismay became distress. Egeria walked up to him and gently took his injured hand. She ran her fingers over it, then pressed it to her cheek.

"I'm okay, Egeria," he assured her in a soft voice.

"You were injured defending my honor. I had hoped that you would not learn of what he said. I knew that you would be angry, and I did not want you to come to blows with him over it."

"Well, we didn't really come to blows. I threw one punch, and that was it. He never even tried to hit me back. You need to know that he apologized, Egeria. He realized that what he said was out of line. Actually, I should make him apologize to you directly. You're the one he insulted the most with what he said."

Egeria shook her head. "It is not necessary. He has spoken his apology to you, and that is enough." She kissed his hand and pulled him into her embrace. After several seconds of just holding him, she began to smile. "I have heard that you dealt him a mighty blow."

"I wouldn't call it mighty. It was a lucky punch. If he'd had more time to react, I probably wouldn't have landed even it, and I might have been the one whose ass got planted on the floor. Jack made sure that I got some training in hand-to-hand combat so that I could take care of myself, but I'm still not really all that good at fighting with my fists, and forget about the more advanced stuff."

Egeria looked up at him. "It was not a fighter with whom I fell in love, Daniel. It was a gentle man with a good and caring heart and a mind of great intellect. There are many men who can fight, who can use their fists with skill. They do not appeal to me." She cupped his cheek. "You are everything that I could ever want or need."

Daniel pulled her into a soft, slow kiss. He winced as he accidentally bumped his bruised hand. Egeria felt it, and her concern returned.

"I'm supposed to soak it in some ice water," he told her.

"Then you must do so. I will go get some ice."

Egeria went to the commissary and filled a large cup with ice. She then asked the kitchen staff if she could borrow a bowl. The woman who got it for her noticed the cup of ice.

"Is that for Doctor Jackson's hand? I heard what happened. I'm betting that half the base knows about it. As far as I'm concerned, he should have broken Sergeant Grossman's nose."

Egeria did not respond to the comment, merely thanking the woman for the bowl. On the way back, she noticed a few glances, but chose to ignore them.

When Daniel unwrapped his hand, Egeria was appalled by how it looked. The knuckles had swollen more, and the bruising was more visible. He hissed from the cold as he put it in the ice water.

"It isn't going to be fun typing or writing with this thing," he remarked. "You know, this isn't the first time I've hit someone, but it _is_ the first time I hit somebody with the intention of breaking their jaw. I nearly break my hand instead. Typical."

At that moment, Sam came hurrying in. She saw Daniel's hand in the bowl and grimaced.

"Ouch. I just heard what happened. It's not broken, is it?"

"No, fortunately," Daniel replied.

Sam was now getting mad. "I couldn't believe it when I heard what that jackass said, and I'm guessing that what I heard was a watered down version. I also heard that both Colonel Ferretti and General Hammond gave Grossman a piece of their mind. He'll probably be getting the cold shoulder from a lot of the women around here, too."

"Poor Sergeant Grossman," Daniel responded, smiling ever so slightly.

"He deserves it."

Daniel looked at the frown on her face. "Just so you know, Sam, he apologized, so don't get it into your head to confront him about this. It's over and done with, and I just want it to be put in the past."

Sam paused. "Okay, but don't expect me to smile the next time I see him."

The corners of Daniel's lips turned upward. "I wouldn't think of it."

Sam gestured at his hand. "Isn't that going to make it hard for you to work?"

"It might be painful, but I'll manage. I'm sure it'll be better by tomorrow."

By that night, his hand was already feeling a little better, thanks to soaking it several times in ice water. Even so, it was proving to be painful for him to get undressed, making it necessary to unbuttoning his pants with his left hand. He was lowering the zipper when there was a knock on his door. Zipping his fly back up, he went to answer it with a smile on his face, knowing who it was.

Egeria didn't bother asking for permission to come in, knowing that there was no need. As soon as Daniel had shut the door, she was stripping off her blouse and skirt to reveal a black lace teddy that made Daniel sincerely wish that he had two good hands. She wasted no time ridding him of his T-shirt and pants, thereby eliminating the need for the archeologist to do it himself.

Sitting him on the edge of the bed, she settled onto his lap. She picked up his bruised hand and gently stroked it.

"Does it still pain you, my Daniel?"

"A little."

She began kissing it, working from the tips of his fingers and slowly upward. She did not stop at his hand, however, placing a trail of kisses up his arm to his shoulder, then across his collarbone to the hollow at the base of his throat. She dipped her tongue into it, making him gasp. She lifted her lips to hover a fraction of an inch from his.

"Allow me, then, to make you feel better," she murmured before taking his mouth with hers.

By the time Egeria got through with him, Daniel was most definitely feeling better.


	19. Chapter 19

CHAPTER NINETEEN

During breakfast the next morning, Teal'c expressed his displeasure over what Sergeant Grossman had said. Daniel thanked him, but made it clear that he didn't want the Jaffa to do anything about it. He then turned to Jack and said the same thing.

"I think Grossman's learned his lesson," the colonel said. "And he's probably going to keep right on learning it for quite some time to come every time he sees one of the females on base. He's not too popular with the ladies right now."

They were just finishing their meal when a request came over the P.A. for SG-1 to go see General Hammond. They went straight to the briefing room.

"As I'm sure you know, the archeological teams are still on Egerania, examining the Ancient ruins," Hammond said. "It appears that they may have found something."

Every member of SG-1 instantly became more interested.

"What did they find?" Sam asked.

"A room that they are unable to enter. One of the teams was examining a structure that appears to have been a large complex. The building has a tower at the center, which they wanted to investigate. However, when they attempted to enter the room that would give them access to it, they found it sealed by a door that they can't get open."

"Okay, so what makes them think that there's anything really worth investigating there?" Jack wanted to know.

"The fact that the door's electronic locking mechanism is still working."

Sam sat up straighter. "That means that there must be a functioning power source somewhere."

Hammond nodded. "They are hoping that you can manage to get the door unlocked and opened, Major."

"I can sure give it a try."

"Good. Get suited up. You'll be heading out in one hour There will be ATVs waiting for you at the base camp in the meadow outside the city." The general turned his gaze on Daniel. "Will you be able to operate one with that hand of yours?"

"It might be a little painful, but I'll manage."

After leaving the briefing room, Daniel went to tell Egeria what was going on.

"You look excited," she observed after hearing about the mission.

"Yeah, I am a little. I told you about the Lost City and how we've been looking for it. Now, we might actually have found it. If we have, it might give us what we need to defeat the Goa'uld."

"I hope that is true, Daniel. It would be a glorious thing for both Earth and the Tok'ra, as well as our friends among the Jaffa who wish to be free."

"Yeah."

Egeria ran a finger up and down Daniel's arm. "So, does this mean that I will not have the pleasure of your company tonight?"

"That all depends on what we find inside that room. It's possible that we might get back today." Daniel checked his watch. "I need to get ready for the mission. If we're not going to make it back tonight, I'll make sure that someone lets you know."

A while later, Daniel and his teammates were in the gate room, waiting for the wormhole to connect.

"So, back we go to Egerania," Jack remarked. "All I can say is that it had better not be a waste of time this time."

The trip to the ruins went smoothly. They were met on the outskirts of the Ancient city by Doctor Sousa, who led them to the structure with the locked room.

As they approached it, Daniel studied the tall tower that rose from the center of the large building, wondering what purpose it had served.

When they got to the locked door, Sam studied the mechanism closely. "It looks like some kind of hand scanner. If it works similarly to ours, I should be able to bypass the scanner and get the door open."

"Well, have at it, then, Carter," Jack told her. "I'd really rather not spend the night here, if at all possible."

* * *

Sam was getting more than a little frustrated. She'd been trying for over half an hour to get the door to the mysterious room unlocked, but all her efforts had been in vain. It appeared that the mechanism was specifically designed with safeguards to prevent tampering, and she hadn't yet figured out how to get around them.

Not surprisingly, Jack had suggested that they use C4 on the door, but both Sam and Daniel pointed out that the blast could damage whatever was on the other side.

Daniel came up to her. "Still no luck?"

She let out a sigh. "No, not really. On the surface, it looks like a simple hand scanner, but it has multiple levels of safeguards to prevent someone from doing exactly what I'm trying to do." She peered into the guts of the mechanism again. "Daniel, could you do me a favor? I want to try something. I doubt it'll work, but it's worth a try. When I tell you to, put your hand on the scanner."

"Okay."

As soon as Sam told him to, he placed his hand on the scanner. It lit up, and he felt the slightest of tingling sensations, then, suddenly, the door slid open.

"Hey, it worked!" Sam cried in delight.

Jack heard her outcry and appeared from around the corner. "Well, it's about time."

They all went into the room and looked around.

"I have to say that this is somewhat . . . disappointing," Jack remarked.

The reason for Jack's statement was that the huge, circular room – dominated by an enormous column in the center that was apparently the base of the tower – appeared to be completely empty.

Daniel walked over to one of the walls. It had a stone shelf, which traveled the entire length of the wall and sat around desktop height. Spaced at four-foot intervals were shallow niches a couple of feet wide and extending up to the ceiling.

"I think these were work spaces or something like that," Daniel said. "There were probably computer terminals at each one."

"Yes, but they're all gone now, along with everything else," Jack responded, not very happy about the wasted trip here.

Daniel's attention had gone to one of the sections of wall between the niches. It was covered in Ancient writing.

"This might tell us what was in here and its purpose. I should probably at least skim through it."

Jack sighed. "Fine. Whatever. We've already wasted all this time. What's another hour or so? Knock yourself out."

As Daniel began to read, Jack and Sam left the room. They were joined by Teal'c, who had been outside. They filled him in.

"Sir, while Daniel's reading, I'm going to check out the rest of this place, make sure the archeological team didn't miss anything." Sam said.

"All right. Take Teal'c with you."

After the other two had left, Jack went back into the room and discovered that Daniel was no longer reading. Instead, he was staring at the tower. He walked up to it, then went all the way around the circumference.

"That's strange," he murmured.

"What's strange?" asked Jack.

"There's no entrance. I mean, this must be the base of the tower, so how do you get inside?"

"Maybe there is no inside."

"There must be. It's too big to be solid. Besides, why have a gigantic, solid stone column rising up out of a room? What purpose would it serve?"

"Big ass lightning rod?"

Daniel glanced at the grey-haired man briefly. Jack was definitely smart enough to know that you wouldn't make a lightning rod out of stone. He was just being an ass, as usual.

Losing interest, Jack wandered off to the far side of the room and stared up through one of the numerous slits in the roof that likely acted as skylights.

Daniel started a second circuit around the tower, studying it more closely. He came to a spot where there was a single circle etched into the stone. Nothing more, just a lone circle.

"Huh. I wonder what this is," he murmured as he stepped closer.

Several yards away, Jack heard him. "Did you say something?" When he didn't get an answer, he turned around. "Daniel?" he called a little louder. Still getting no response, Jack strode over to the tower. "Daniel, where are you?"

When a trip around the tower and a peek outside the door yielded no sign of the archeologist, Jack started to get a little worried. Daniel would not have just walked off without saying anything. It's as if he'd disappeared into thin air.

"Daniel, if this is some kind of joke, and you're hiding somewhere, it's not funny," Jack called out. The complete silence that greeted his words increased his concern. He reached for his radio.

"Carter, Teal'c. Come in."

"Carter here, sir," Sam answered.

"Get back to the room on the double."

"What's wrong, Colonel?"

"Daniel's disappeared."

* * *

"Oookay. This probably isn't good."

Daniel's words echoed slightly in the room in which he'd suddenly found himself. He'd just tried to contact his teammates and gotten no response.

"Why is it that things like this keep happening to me?" the archeologist muttered. He walked forward. As he did so, more lights in the room turned on, revealing its contents. It appeared to be in some kind of lab or perhaps a control room.

Daniel stepped up to one of the consoles, which activated automatically. He scanned the symbols and found the controls. A holographic screen came to life at his touch. Skimming through the words that appeared, Daniel determined that it was talking about a sentient species discovered by the Ancients. Though his curiosity was begging him to read more, this was not what he was looking for right now. What he needed was to find the way out.

Leaving that console and going to the next one over, Daniel began his search for a way to get him back to where he was before he got beamed here. By now, Jack must be aware that he was missing and might have even called Sam and Teal'c to help search for him. The problem was that they might end up being transported here, too.

Daniel thought about what he'd done to get himself into this mess. Actually, he really hadn't done anything. All he did was step up to that circle on the column. A couple of seconds later, he'd found himself here. He could only assume that he'd tripped some kind of sensor.

Okay, there was no reason to get concerned. There had to be a way out. All he had to do was find it.

* * *

"I am definitely picking up an energy signature," Sam said, running her scanner over the base of the tower, "but your guess is as good as mine as to what's generating it." She looked at her C.O. "So, one second, he was here and, the next, he was gone? You didn't see it happen?"

"No, I didn't see it happen. I was stupid enough to turn my back on him for five seconds. Apparently, that's enough time for him to get himself into trouble again."

"He must have tripped some kind of transport beam. He could be almost anywhere in the city."

"If he was capable of doing so, would Daniel Jackson not have contacted us by now?" Teal'c asked.

"Yes, he would."

"Which means that either he's someplace where his radio won't work or something's happened to him," Jack said.

Really hoping that it was the former rather than the latter, Sam resumed scanning the column. She noticed a lone circle engraved into the stone. Curious, she stepped closer. "I wonder what this is."

Jack and Teal'c came over and stared at the circle.

"Doesn't look like anything to me," the colonel remarked.

"No, but the fact that it's the only thing on the column must mean something." Sam reached out to touch it.

"Ah, do you think that's wise, Carter? Maybe that's what sent Daniel off to wherever he is."

"Well, if it is, sir, at least he won't be alone, and you'll have a better idea of what happened. You can bring a team in from the SGC, and they might be able to figure out where we were sent."

Though he wasn't happy about it, Jack told her to go ahead.

"Just be careful," he said.

Taking a deep breath, Sam touched the circle. Nothing happened.

"Well, it was a nice try," Jack remarked. "Any other ideas?"

Sam frowned and pushed at the circle a little harder. "I don't know why this is here if it doesn't do anything."

"Perhaps a device of some kind was once there," Teal'c suggested.

Sam nodded. "Yeah, you're probably right."

"Okay, I'm calling the other teams in," Jack announced. "We need to start a search of the ruins."

* * *

Daniel stared at the consoles from the place where he sat on the floor. It had been two hours since he began his search for a way out. The consoles had yielded information on a wide variety of subjects, but he hadn't found one word about how to get out of there.

By now, everyone was probably getting worried. Would they have sent someone back to the gate for more help? If so, Egeria would find out that he was missing, and she'd be worried, too.

With that thought in mind, Daniel got off the floor, determined to find the way out. As he walked toward one of the consoles, there was a flash of light. When it disappeared, the archeologist discovered that he was no longer alone.

"Hey, Jack. Nice of you to drop in."

* * *

Sam gaped at the place where the colonel had been standing only a second ago. She walked up to the spot before the circle on the column, Teal'c, who had also witnessed the disappearance, right behind her.

"I don't understand this," she said. "I stood right there earlier, and nothing happened. The colonel didn't even touch the circle. So, what's the trick? Why Daniel and Colonel O'Neill and not me?"

"Perhaps it is because of my proximity," Teal'c suggested. "The repository of knowledge would not function for me. Though I no longer carry a symbiote, it may be that it is detecting the Tretonin in my body and believes that it is a symbiote."

Sam nodded. "You may have something there. If that's the case, it's probably doing the same thing with the Naquadah in my blood. Damn. Okay, we need to send someone back to the gate to tell General Hammond what's happened. I still have to believe that Daniel and the colonel are in this city somewhere. We need more people searching with scanners."

The astrophysicist turned back to the column, hoping that, with more people searching, they'd find the missing half of SG-1.

* * *

"Nice to see ya, Daniel," Jack remarked.

"You too."

"How you doing?"

"Oh, could be better, could be worse."

"So . . . where the hell are we?"

"I have no idea."

"Not the answer I was looking for."

"Sorry."

Jack wandered over to one of the consoles. "So, what are these?"

"They have a whole lot of information about a great deal of stuff. I'm guessing that, at one time, this was some sort of science lab or perhaps even a learning center, although I don't know why the Ancients would find it necessary to hide a learning center."

"I suppose that you haven't found a way out."

"If I had, I wouldn't be here."

"Yeah, that's what I figured."

Daniel walked up to Jack. "There has to be one."

"You'd think that, wouldn't you, especially since this place doesn't seem to have a bathroom."

Daniel's gaze went to the spot where Jack had appeared. Was that the same place _he_ was when he arrived? He walked over to it, examining the floor, then the ceiling. There were no marks or any signs of some kind of technology, but that didn't really mean anything. Sometimes, ring transporters, which were also created by the Ancients, were completely hidden.

Could it be that easy?

"Jack, come here."

"Why?"

"Just . . . just come here. I might have discovered the way out."

Jack walked up to him. Daniel grabbed his arm and pulled the man closer as he stepped onto the spot where Jack had been standing when he appeared in the room.

They remained unmoving for around four or five seconds.

"Okay," said Jack. "Is something supposed to be hap—"

"—pening?" Startled, the colonel looked around, suddenly realizing that they were back in the circular room.

"Daniel! Colonel!" Sam cried, running up to them.

"Hi, Sam," Daniel greeted.

"Are you two okay?"

"We're fine. More than fine, actually. Wait until you see what I found."

"There's no bathroom," Jack added, "so, if you have to go, you'd better do it beforehand."

"Oh!" Sam said. "I need to stop Doctor Perkins from heading back to the gate." She got on the radio and told everyone that Daniel and Jack had made it back safely. Hearing her announcement, Teal'c quickly returned to the room.

"I am pleased to see that you are unharmed," he said.

"So, where were you?" Sam asked.

"In some kind of lab or computer center," Daniel replied. "Now that I know how to get back out, I need to go back there and really pay attention to what was on those computers. You wouldn't be able to read Ancient, but you might be able to figure out what the place was used for."

"I may not be able to go there, Daniel. Teal'c and I have a theory that the reason why you and the colonel were beamed there, but I wasn't even though I stood in the same place is because of the Naquadah in my blood."

"You mean that it thinks you're a Goa'uld."

"Yeah."

"I guess there's really only one way to find out, then."

"Just hold on there," Jack said. "I'm not so crazy about you or anyone else beaming back to that place when we don't even know where it is. What if that transporter thing stops working while you're there?"

Sam sighed. "I'm afraid he does have a point."

"Well, wherever we were, my radio signal wasn't getting out," Daniel said, "which means that either the room is shielded or it was deep underground. For all we know, it could be right under our feet." He looked at the huge column. "In fact, that may be exactly where it is. I still think that this tower must have some purpose. Perhaps it has to do with that room. I think we need to take the chance and go back down there. There's no telling what kind of information is on those computers. If this is the Lost City, they may be able to tell us where the weapons are."

Though it was against his better judgment, Jack said, "All right, but just one more trip. You and Carter have two hours, then I want you back up here. Got it?"

"Got it, sir," Sam answered.

She and Daniel went over to the spot where the archeologist and the colonel had been beamed away. Daniel stood right in front of the circle with Sam close beside him. Nothing happened for around three seconds, then they were suddenly transported to the room.

"Wow," was the first word out of Sam's mouth as the lights turned on and she saw all the consoles. She went up to one of them, but it remained dark. "How do you turn them on?"

Daniel frowned. "That's funny. They turned on automatically before." He walked up to Sam's side, and the console immediately lit up. "Okay, that's weird. Could it still have something to do with the Naquadah?"

"I suppose so." Sam ran her scanner over the console. "I wonder where the power for these things is coming from." She began making a circuit of the room, running her scanner over the walls, looking for a spike in the reading. When she got one, it was a big one.

"Daniel, come here."

The archeologist walked over to her.

Sam pointed at the wall. "Look at this. It looks like it might be some kind of access panel."

Daniel reached for it. As soon as his hand touched the small, hexagonal panel, it pushed out from the wall, making him and Sam hastily step back a pace.

What was revealed was some kind of crystalline structure that glowed a deep orange.

"That has got to be the power source," Sam said, stepping up to it. She ran her scanner over it. "The reading is completely off the scale. I've never seen anything like this before. I can't even begin to guess how much power this generates."

Leaving Sam to examine the orange crystal, Daniel returned to one of the consoles. He brought up the holographic screen and glanced over the text. Seeing that it was information on stellar phenomena, he brought up the index, something he'd learned how to do during his previous search. Paying a lot more attention this time, he began scrolling down the list. Quite a few topics caught his interest, but he decided to keep going. And then he spotted something that made his heart beat just a little faster. He selected the item and began to read the text that came up.

"Uh, Sam? I've found something."

Hearing the restrained excitement in Daniel's tone, Sam came up to him. "What did you find?"

"This is information on the repositories."

"You mean like what downloaded the information into the colonel's mind?"

"Yeah. Sam, these are instructions on how to use them. According to this, there is a way to limit the amount of information that's downloaded, which was something I always wondered about. It never made sense to me that it was all or nothing."

"That's fantastic, Daniel. It's a shame that the one Colonel O'Neill used is out of power. This could help us operate it. And we don't know where any others are."

"Um . . . we do now." Daniel pointed at something on the screen. It was a gate address.

* * *

As soon as General Hammond saw the look that was on the faces of Daniel and Sam when they and their teammates came through, he knew that something big had happened. In the debriefing that followed, he found out what that something was.

"We need to go get that repository," Daniel said after the general had been filled in. "We're talking about a device that contains all of the knowledge of the Ancients."

"Yes, and makes you go screwy in the head, talking and doing all kinds of nonsense," Jack added. "In my opinion, we should stay as far away from that thing as possible."

"Sir, with the instructions we found in that lab, we might be able to find a way to retrieve the information without anyone interfacing with it," Sam told him. She turned to Hammond. "General, the knowledge in that repository is invaluable."

"It could give us what we need to defeat the Goa'uld once and for all," Daniel said.

The general nodded. "I have to agree with you. This opportunity is too important to pass up. We'll schedule the mission for tomorrow morning. I'll send SG-3 with you."

When Daniel talked to Egeria, it was easy for her to see how excited he was.

"Ever since we first learned about the Ancients, I've been dying to know more about them," he said. "After I ascended, I would have gained their knowledge, but I lost it all when I descended, not even remembering what I did during that year. That bothers me a whole lot more than the other things I lost when I descended. My whole life has been in the pursuit of knowledge, and, now, we are on the verge of getting something that holds all the knowledge of one of the most advanced races we ever encountered, millions upon millions of years of knowledge. I can't even begin to guess what all is in there." He paused. "Yet, at the same time, I can't help but wonder if we're ready for this. Years ago, we met a race called the Nox. They called us very young. They recognized that, as a race, we still had a lot of growing up to do."

"You fear that some may use the knowledge obtained from the repository for things that it should not be used."

"Yeah. I doubt that we're going to be able to keep this a secret from Russia, China and the other countries that know about the Stargate. They're all going to be demanding access to that knowledge, and, as much as I hate to say it, I'm worried about what some of them might use it for, not that this country is above using it for unethical purposes. But this could also end the war with the Goa'uld once and for all, and I guess that outweighs the danger that someone here on Earth might misuse it."

The next morning, SG-1 and SG-3 headed off to P3X-439. As SG-3 remained at the gate, SG-1 walked to the structure that they guessed was the location of the repository.

After an hour of searching, they'd found no sign of it. In fact, there appeared to be no way to get inside the monument, if there was even an inside at all. Jack finally got tired of looking and sat down on the grass a few yards away as Daniel began to read the writing on the colonnade. After another half-hour, Daniel found something.

"It says it's inside," he announced.

"Inside?" Jack responded, getting to his feet and walking over. "What inside? All I see is a whole lot of outside, Daniel."

"I know." The archeologist studied the writing some more. "If I'm right. . . ." He didn't finish his sentence. Instead, he pressed several of the symbols in a certain order. Suddenly, a familiar object appeared out of the wall. "Found it."

The four members of SG-1 cautiously approached it. Daniel got a little too close, and the repository grew out from the wall further, making them all jump back.

"Damn, I hate those things," Jack muttered. "Okay, so how do we get it out?"

"We'll have to cut through the wall, sir," Sam replied. "This isn't the first time that we've extracted one of these things, so we have some experience."

"What if the batteries on this one go dead just like that other one did?"

"Obviously, there is a chance that the power level is low, but no one will be interfacing with it like you did with the other one, which is likely what drained the last of the power."

"So, I guess we need to get a crew here to get it out," Daniel said.

Jack frowned. "Yes, and not get their heads grabbed by that thing in the process."

A couple of hours later, the crew was hard at work removing the repository, with Sam overseeing the process. The end of the repository had been covered in order to prevent someone from accidentally interfacing with it.

The three male members of SG-1 stood a few yards away, watching the proceedings.

"I can already guess that this is going to keep you and Carter busy for days to come," Jack remarked to Daniel.

"Yeah, probably so. Sam can't read Ancient, and some of the technical stuff is over my head, so we're going to have to work together on this."

"And have either of you given any thought as to how we're going to get all that knowledge out of the thing? You said that the instructions in that lab were on how to set the thing to download only part of the stuff instead of all of it, but that still means that somebody's gotta stick their head in it."

"Like Sam said, we're hoping that won't be necessary, that we'll be able to find a way to download the information into a computer."

"And if you can't?"

Daniel hesitated before replying. "I don't know. Obviously, we'd be hesitant to let someone interface with it, even if they wouldn't be getting all of the information, but if that's the only way to get it, we might have to take the chance."

"You mean that _you_ might have to take the chance." When Daniel looked at him, Jack said, "Oh, come on Daniel. You can't tell me that you aren't dying to have some of that knowledge dumped into your brain, get back part of what you lost when you descended."

"Okay, so I have been thinking about it."

"Uh huh. Well, that isn't gonna happen."

"Not even if there is no other way to get any of the information?"

"Daniel, in case you've forgotten, I almost died when it happened to me."

"Because you got too much, Jack. That wouldn't happen with a small download."

"Even so, I'm not willing to take the chance. So, don't you go putting your head into that thing."

Once the repository was out of the wall, it was loaded onto a FRED, and everyone returned to Earth. Hammond greeted them in the gate room.

"Welcome back, everyone," he said. "SG-1, we have a bit of a problem. Once you get your post-mission exams attended to, come to the briefing room."

All during their time in the infirmary, the members of SG-1 wondered what the problem could be. As soon as they got to the briefing room, Hammond told them. For some reason, the science team that had been sent to examine the hidden lab in more detail was unable get there. No matter how long any of them stood in the correct spot, they were not being transported to the room.

"That makes no sense," Sam said. "It worked for Daniel and the colonel. I assumed that the reason why it didn't work for me and Teal'c is that it was mistakenly identifying us as having symbiotes."

"Maybe the power ran out," Jack suggested.

"Based on the readings I was getting from the power module, I don't see how that could be possible. There has to be another explanation for why it's suddenly not working."

A frown came to Daniel's face. "Maybe we're looking at this backwards."

Sam stared at him. "Backwards?"

"What if the problem isn't that the sensor was detecting something in you and Teal'c that prevented it from activating? What if, instead, it _wasn't_ detecting something that's needed to make it work?"

"Please explain, Doctor Jackson," Hammond requested.

"Okay, I was ascended. What if, when I descended, a little something was . . . left behind? That sensor could be programmed only to work for Ancients or someone who is the same as the Ancients in some way."

"Okay, that makes sense for you, Daniel, but I was never ascended," Jack pointed out.

"Yes, but remember what Thor said about you? He said that you were more advanced on the evolutionary scale. They even thought for a while that your DNA might hold the key to their genetic degradation problems."

"Daniel, you might be on to something," Sam said. "The only way we could test it is to see if the transporter works for you and the colonel."

Jack sighed. "You mean to say that we have to make that trip again? It is really starting to get old."

"I'm afraid so, sir."

"Great."

"Very well," said Hammond. "It is too late in the day for you to go today, so it will have to wait until tomorrow."

As they lay together in bed that night, Egeria could tell that Daniel's mind was on something. She rose onto an elbow and looked down at him.

"You are troubled."

"No, not troubled, not exactly. More . . . pensive. All this time, I assumed that, when I descended, I'd been returned to a physical state exactly the same as I was before I ascended, except, of course, that I no longer had the radiation poisoning, and I came back sans all the scars I collected over the years – and with my appendix back in place. Even my vision was the same as before. But, now, it looks like I might have been wrong. How different am I? What ended up getting left over from my time as an ascended being? And was it done on purpose?"

"You told me that Teal'c believed that Oma Desala deliberately made it possible for you to regain your memories from before your ascension. What if this, too, was of her design. Perhaps she believed that you might have a need for it in the future."

Daniel thought about that. "I guess it's possible. Unfortunately, I can't ask her."


	20. Chapter 20

CHAPTER TWENTY

SG-1 headed back to the ruins on Egerania first thing the next morning. Once they arrived in what Daniel called the tower room, they approached the spot where both he and Jack had been unexpectedly transported to the lab.

Figuring that there was no point in delaying, Daniel stepped up to the lone circle and, within seconds, was beamed away, much to the surprise of the watching scientists.

"Hey!" one of them exclaimed. "How come it worked for him and not us?"

"Because you just don't have what it takes, boys," Jack replied, the smallest of smirks on his face.

Daniel reappeared in the same spot.

"Well, I guess this confirms what we suspected," he said.

"Perhaps O'Neill should make certain that it still works for him as well," Teal'c suggested.

"No thanks. I'll pass," the colonel responded.

Sam frowned. "So, this means that Daniel or Colonel O'Neill are going to have to accompany everyone who goes to the lab."

Daniel let out a sigh. "Yeah. That's going to be a problem. I'm really not that eager to act as an usher for the next week or so. I really wish we could figure out where that lab is." His gaze went to the tower.

"What are you thinking, Daniel?" Sam asked. "It couldn't be in the tower. That room was too big."

"I know, but I'm still wondering what the purpose of this tower is. I really think that lab is right under our feet and that there's some sort of connection between it and the tower."

"You may be right, but how far underground? If it's just a couple of feet, we could get to it with a jackhammer, but if it's six or seven feet down, we'd need heavy equipment."

"So, until we figure it out, Daniel's gonna have to be a ferry service?" Jack asked.

"I'm afraid so."

"Oh, joy," the archeologist muttered.

After determining that three people could be transported at once, Daniel accompanied the scientists down to the lab two at a time. There, the archeologist learned that, though the computers needed him to turn them on, once they were on, anyone could use them, and they would remain on for as long as someone was using them.

They set up a portable toilet so that they wouldn't have to keep making trips back up. Leaving the men to their work and telling them that he'd check in with them in two hours, Daniel then beamed back to the tower room.

"Are they all set?" Sam asked him.

"For now, but this is going to cause a problem. We either need to get those computers out of there or download the information into something else."

"Yeah, I've been thinking about that. I really want to study that power source more closely, but I can't do that as long as we need it to power the transporter and the lab."

Jack stepped up to them. "How can you study it if pulling it out is going to make everything go dead? You'd be stranded down there."

"There must be some kind of backup generator to power the transporter in case of emergency. It would be too dangerous not to have one."

"So, what are you thinking?" Daniel asked.

"If we can bring the computers up here, then great. Otherwise, I'd say that we need to get the most important information off of them, retrieve the power module, and worry about the rest later on. As long as we're working on this, that repository is going to be just sitting there at the base. Of course, the general will have to be the one to make the decision on this."

"Then I guess we'd better ask him," Jack responded.

They contacted the team at the gate and told them to dial it up. Upon discussing the situation with Hammond, the general agreed that, because of the difficulties in getting down to the lab, it wasn't going to be practical to keep going down there. He gave them permission to see if the computer systems could be removed and, if not, to download as much as possible, retrieve the power module, then leave the rest for another time.

Sam went with Daniel back down to the lab and spent the next hour with the scientists, determining if the computers could be removed. While they were doing that, Daniel was skimming through the contents of one of the systems. His search came to a screeching halt when he found one thing in particular.

"Um, Sam? I've found something else."

She came over. "What?"

"This here," he pointed at the holographic screen, "is talking about weapons, defensive weapons set up in case of attack." Daniel kept reading. "It says that there is a control interface."

"Where is it?"

Daniel pressed a button. Everyone was startled when something rose out of the floor on the other side of the room. They all stared at the throne-like chair. Sam and Daniel approached it. The astrophysicist studied the strange, gelatinous pads that were on the ends of each armrest.

"I wonder if those are the control panels," Sam said. "I wouldn't even begin to know how they operate."

Leaving the major to study the chair in more detail, Daniel returned to the computer station.

"I just found out what the tower is for," he announced after a couple of minutes. "It's sort of the equivalent of a missile silo, except that it doesn't launch a missile. It launches multiple drones of some kind. I'm afraid that most of the technical stuff on the drones is over my head."

Sam came up to him. "Does it say where the drones are stored?"

"Inside the tower. The only way to get in there is with the transporter. Oh, and it turns out that there _was_ something attached to the tower wall where that circle was. It was a control panel." He turned the 'page' on the holographic screen. "Apparently, there are transporters all over the city, and you used the control panel to select where you wanted to go. I guess we're just lucky that, apparently, the last place this one was set to go was this lab. And I was right about where we are. We're directly beneath the tower room."

"How far down?"

"It doesn't say, but, since this is the control room for that weapon, I'd guess that we're pretty far down, far enough that a ship's sensors wouldn't detect this place. They'd have wanted to make sure it was secure. The tower is lined with a thick layer of Naquadah, so cutting a hole through to the weapons would be impossible."

"Okay, we need to go topside and tell the colonel about the weapons."

Jack was more than a little excited when they told him what they'd discovered.

"So, we need to get inside that tower and get them," he said.

"It isn't that simple, Jack," Daniel responded. "From what I could understand, you need that chair to control the weapons."

"So, we take it, too."

"And then what? If it's like everything else in that lab, you and I are the only ones who will be able to use it, and I haven't yet found any instructions on how to make it work."

"Well, we're certainly not gonna just leave the weapons there. Finding weapons was the whole purpose of this search."

"I think we need to contact the general and find out what he wants us to do," Sam said.

Hammond was also pretty excited about the discovery of the weapons and said that he'd talk to the president about what they should do. In the meantime, they were to continue the process of either removing the computers or downloading the information, though, for the present time, the power module should be left in place.

Sam and Daniel returned to the lab. After another half-hour, the major and the other scientists came to the conclusion that removing the computers would not be feasible. There was another problem as well. From what they could see, the computers contained thousands of terabytes of data, meaning that it would be a major undertaking to download it all. This meant that they had no choice but to pick and choose which information was the most important. Since Daniel was the only one there who was fluent in Ancient, he would have the job of going through the stuff and telling them what everything was.

"I guess this means that I'm not going home any time soon," Daniel said with a sigh.

"I'm sorry, Daniel," Sam responded, commiserating with him. "If it makes you feel any better, I'll be staying, too."

Daniel gave her a smile. "I really appreciate the company, but. . . ."

Sam smiled. "But there's other company that you'd like to have. Maybe the general will agree to let Egeria come here."

Daniel shook his head. "There wouldn't be anything for her to do here."

"Sure there is. She could bring along a laptop and keep working on what she's been doing."

The archeologist smiled. "I didn't think of that." He looked over at the computers. "Sam, do you think that the Tok'ra might be able to figure out a way for us to remove the computers?"

"I suppose it's possible, but that would mean telling them what we found."

"Aren't we going to have to do that anyway?"

"Probably eventually, but. . . ."

Daniel studied her expression. "You're worried about a leak."

"Yeah. Can you imagine what the Goa'uld would do if they found out about this?"

The archeologist nodded. "If they couldn't get at the information themselves, they'd level the ruins so that no one else could get it, and they'd probably wipe out everyone on the planet while they were at it." Daniel thought of something else. "And if Anubis found out, there's a good chance that he'd be able to get in here."

Sam nodded. Her expression became serious. "Daniel, I just realized something. Sooner or later, we will have to tell the Tok'ra about this, which means that we can't leave this stuff here. It would be way too dangerous."

"But that would mean destroying the lab. Sam, we can't do that."

"We may have no choice, Daniel. As long as this is here, not only is there the danger that the Goa'uld will get their hands on it, it will also threaten the lives of everyone on this planet."

Daniel looked around at the computers, machines that contained priceless knowledge of the Ancients. If they could not succeed in finding a safe way to download the information from the repository, what was in these systems would be even more important. But he knew that Sam was right. If the Goa'uld learned of its existence, it would be a major threat to both the people on Egerania and the rest of the galaxy.

Fully understanding how he felt, Sam told him that they needed to talk to Jack.

The frown on the colonel's face told them that he was concerned as well.

"I say that we don't tell the Tok'ra," he said. "We didn't tell them about the time machine thing until it was absolutely necessary. There's no reason why we have to tell them about this."

"What of the alliance treaty?" Teal'c asked.

"Screw the treaty. I think that protecting this planet and the rest of the galaxy is more important."

Daniel shook his head. "It's not going to work, Jack. What's going to happen if we start making things based on Ancient technology? We aren't going to be able to keep that a secret from the Tok'ra. And when they find out what we've been hiding from them, that will be the end of the alliance."

"He's right, sir," Sam said. "The situation with the time device was completely different. We need to go back to the SGC and talk to General Hammond. We have some big decisions to make."

Because SG-1 would likely be gone until tomorrow, the scientists were brought back up. The team then made the long trip back to the gate.

In the debriefing that followed, General Hammond reluctantly agreed that leaving the lab intact would be too dangerous.

"Major, how long do you think it would take to retrieve all of the data in those computers?" he asked.

"That's really all going to depend on what kind of interface we can set up. First, we'd have to get some data storage units sent here, then devise a high speed interface for the transfer. We are talking about a massive amount of data, sir. It isn't going to be quick, not even with the fastest data transfer rate we can manage with our present technology. Ironically, the Tok'ra could probably help speed things up tremendously."

"What about the information Egeria's giving us?" Daniel asked. "Isn't there something that you could use?"

"Possibly, but we'd have to build it, which would also take time."

"I'm afraid that there is another concern as well," Hammond said, "a more domestic one. It is going to be necessary to tell Russia, China and the others about what we've discovered, and both the president and I agree that, once they find out about that lab and those weapons, not only will they want access to the lab, there is also going to be a problem with what is going to be done with the weapons."

"Well, it's not like they can use the weapons themselves," Jack responded.

"I doubt that they will take our word for that, Colonel. They're going to want some of the drones to study and most likely have some of their scientists study that chair as well."

"They can study them all they want," Daniel said. "It isn't going to change the fact that the drones cannot be controlled without the chair, and the chair cannot be operated by everyone who sits in it."

"Are you certain that there would be no way around that, Doctor?"

"Well, obviously, I can't be one hundred percent certain, but it's pretty clear that the Ancients put a lot of effort into making sure that not just anybody could get into that lab and operate those computers, so the same would be true for the chair. We are talking about the Ancients, after all, one of the most highly advanced races we've ever encountered."

Sam nodded. "Daniel's right, sir. Sure, we've managed to hack and backwards engineer Goa'uld technology, but Ancient technology is far more advanced. A science team spent days studying that Stargate that Orlin built in my basement, and they were unable to figure out how he did it, and he built it with things he got right here on Earth! To attempt to hack into that chair and get it to work for anyone would very likely be impossible. I couldn't even succeed in bypassing the safeguards and getting that lock on the door to the tower room to disengage."

Jack frowned. "Yes, you did."

"No, sir, I didn't. I _thought_ I did, but the truth is that I had nothing to do with getting the door unlocked. It was Daniel who unlocked it when he touched the scanner."

"So, what you're saying is that we'll have this big, powerful Ancient weapon, but nobody except me and Daniel can make it work."

"I'm afraid so."

"Which could have its advantages," Daniel responded. "You can bet that the other counties are going to start fighting over where that weapon should be set up, but if Jack and I are the only ones who can make it work. . . ."

"Then it must remain in this country," Teal'c finished.

Hammond's head shook. "I'm afraid it isn't that black and while. Even if Colonel O'Neill and Doctor Jackson are the only ones who can operate it, it's doubtful that neither Russia nor China will agree to letting it remain here."

"Forgive me for saying this, General, but what are they going to do about it?" Jack asked. "Threaten to go to war if we don't agree to put it someplace else?"

"No, but don't forget, Jack, that the Stargate is being leased by us from Russia. If they felt it was necessary, they could threaten to break the lease."

"Crap. I forgot about that."

"So, what are we going to do?" Daniel asked.

"At this point, we're going to have to take things one step at a time and deal with what comes as it comes," the general replied. "Our top priority is to start downloading the information in those computers and remove the chair and drones."

Sam gave a nod. "Okay, then we need to get some data storage units here. We'll have to compress the data, of course. Then there's the interface to deal with."

"All right," Hammond said. "You had better get busy on that, then." He looked at Daniel, then Jack. "I'm afraid that there is another issue that may arise, specifically regarding the two of you."

"Oh, I'm not gonna like this, am I," Jack responded.

"Some people are going to want to know what makes me and Jack special," Daniel guessed.

"I am afraid so. They will most likely want DNA samples from both of you."

Jack grimaced. "And I suppose that saying no is not an option."

"This is not something we have to worry about now," Hammond said, "but it is going to come up eventually." He looked around at the members of SG-1. "I believe that's all for now, everyone. Dismissed."

Daniel went to Egeria's lab. She could tell right away that he was troubled and asked him what was wrong. He explained everything to her.

"It grieves you that you may have to sacrifice some of the knowledge in the lab," she said.

"Yes, it does. There is no guarantee that we'll be able to get access to the stuff in the repository, at least not safely. If we can't, then the information in those computers is even more important. The thought of destroying a big chunk of it. . . ." Daniel shook his head.

"Could not the Asgard help? Surely, they could download the data quite quickly."

"Oh, I'm sure they could, but would they be willing to give it all to us after they did? They might decide that it's too much for us to know."

"Do you intend to keep the knowledge of the lab's existence hidden from the Tok'ra until it has been destroyed?"

"Probably so." Daniel studied her closely. "Does that bother you?"

"A little, though I understand the wisdom of doing so. I have learned of the Zatarcs and of the traitors who have arisen within the Tok'ra ranks. It saddens me that some Tok'ra chose to betray our kind, but, in truth, it does not surprise me. Though the Tok'ra were not born with the knowledge of the Goa'uld and the evil inherent in that knowledge, it does not mean that no Tok'ra would be swayed by the thought of the power they could gain. They are not perfect."

Daniel nodded. "And there's also the fact that some of the Tok'ra are former Goa'uld who were converted. If the prize was big enough, any one of them could revert to their old way, and there wouldn't be a much bigger prize than access to the knowledge of the Ancients, which could give anyone a big edge over everyone else."

"I fear that you are right. You must do what is necessary to keep that knowledge out of the hands of the Goa'uld. If that means hiding its existence from the Tok'ra for a length of time, then that is what needs to be done. But what of the other countries of which you spoke? Will some of them not object to destroying the lab?"

"Probably so, but, fortunately, they don't really have a vote on what we do off-world. They might bitch about the lab being destroyed, but they can't prevent us from doing it. The real problem is going to be once we get that weapon and the knowledge we retrieve back to Earth. That's when the real circus is going to start. I don't envy the president and General Hammond on what they're going to have to deal with."

* * *

Since there was nothing Daniel could do until Sam was ready to go back to Egerania, he and Egeria took the next day off. They returned to Denver, this time going to the Lakeside Amusement Park, where Daniel got the unique privilege of seeing the former queen of the Tok'ra screaming like a teenager as they rode on a roller coaster.

While he enjoyed watching Egeria's reaction to all the rides, it was the simple, sedate Ferris wheel that became his favorite. During the first couple times around, Egeria sat close to him, her hand in his, gazing at the beautiful view of the lake and mountains. But then, at one point, she turned to him. And then they were kissing. They were oblivious to everything around them from that point on until they heard someone clearing their throat loudly. They turned to see the operator staring at them, a highly amused look on his face. Their faces flaming, they got off the Ferris wheel.

It was ten o'clock when they left the park. Egeria fell asleep on the way home. At the house, Daniel parked the car, then just sat and stared at her. He thought about how quickly she had come to mean more to him than everyone and everything else in the universe. He would give up everything for her and could not imagine living without her. He wanted to wake up every morning with her beside him. He wanted to have children with her.

He wanted to marry her.

The sudden thought caught Daniel by surprise. They'd only been in a romantic relationship for a little over two weeks, and he was already thinking about marriage? Okay, he really needed to slow down. There was no need to rush into such a big step. There would be plenty of time for that in the future.

Daniel gently awoke Egeria, and they went inside. After getting ready for bed, they snuggled under the covers.

"It's likely that we'll be going back to Egerania either tomorrow or the next day," Daniel said. "We're just waiting for the data storage units to arrive. Sam was going to be working on the interface today."

"How long do you think that you will be gone?"

"That's tough to say. We need to go through the records on the computers and decide what is top priority, then download the information. Two or three days would be my guess." Daniel paused for a few seconds. "Sam suggested that I ask General Hammond if you could come along."

Egeria lifted her head and looked at him. "I would like that. Do you think he would agree?"

"I don't see why not. You probably have more gate travel experience than all the SG teams combined."

"Then please do ask."

Daniel gave her a smile. "Okay, I will, first thing in the morning."

* * *

Hammond gave permission for Egeria to accompany SG-1 back to the ruins. She spent part of the morning gathering what she would take with her, which would include a laptop computer and several spare batteries. She was looking forward to the trip. Jack had stopped by and asked if she was going to enjoy "camping out" with SG-1. Then he asked if she'd ever had something called s'mores. When she told him that she didn't even know what that was, he smiled and said she'd love them.

Egeria, SG-1 and the team of scientists left the following morning. The former Tok'ra queen rode with Daniel on his ATV, which was quite an experience for her.

Once everyone except Jack and Teal'c were in the hidden lab, work started on interfacing with the computers and downloading what information they could. Daniel then began the task of scanning through the massive amount of data on the systems and telling the others what was there so that they could pick and choose what to copy. The first thing downloaded was the instructions for the repository. The second thing was all the information on the drone weapons. The scientists were disappointed that there were no schematics or technical specifications for the drones.

"Here's the information for how to get into the drone storage area," Daniel announced.

"We should take a look," Sam responded.

Daniel set the transporter, then he, Sam and one of the other scientists beamed up to the room inside the tower that held the drones. They studied one of the strange-looking things.

"You know what Jack's going to say when he sees those, don't you?" Daniel said. "He'll say they looks like dead squids."

Sam stared at the weapons. "You're right. They _do_ sort of look like dead squids. We need to take one back with us."

They returned to the lab with one of the drones, then got back to work on the download.

It soon became apparent that, though there were plenty of references to various weapons, there were no actual instructions on how to build any of them, though there were instructions for some benign pieces of technology. Curious about why that was, Daniel did some checking and discovered that some information had been erased.

"Why would they do that?" asked Doctor Webster. "Nobody can get down here except people the sensor recognizes as being like the Ancients in some way."

"They must have believed that it needed to be done as a precaution, just in case someone got down here who shouldn't have been able to," Daniel replied. "A lot of people are going to be pretty unhappy about this."

* * *

Satisfied with the amount of data that they'd managed to download, the people down in the lab called it a day shortly before dinnertime. Egeria quite enjoyed the meal that followed half an hour later, but the food wasn't the reason. Throughout the meal, which took place around a campfire, the members of SG-1 chatted, drawing Egeria into the conversation. The conversation was mostly about missions in the past, specifically the humorous or embarrassing things that happened to the members of SG-1 or other teams.

"I must admit that I am quite curious about this Grandmother Meeka that Daniel mentioned and what she had to do with Colonel O'Neill," Egeria said.

Jack immediately pointed his finger at Daniel. "Don't you tell her!"

Egeria smiled slightly. "I swear that it will go no farther than me, Colonel." Her smile widened a bit. "If you wish, in exchange, I will tell you of an incident that occurred to Ba'al that was quite embarrassing and humiliating for him."

That caught Jack's attention. "Embarrassing to old Ba'al, huh? That I gotta hear." He thought about it for a moment. "Okay, you've got a deal." He returned his gaze to Daniel. "You tell her just the facts, you got it? No elaboration."

Daniel smiled. "I don't need to elaborate, Jack." He turned to the woman sitting beside him. "We were on a mission to M1K-902. The native population is human, but, due to a variety of factors, can live up to a hundred and forty years. They greeted us with open arms and, that night, threw a big feast for us. Among the libations was a home-brewed beer. Well, Jack took quite a liking to it and consumed a tankard in short order."

"It was a mug, not a tankard," Jack corrected.

Daniel looked at him. "I beg to differ, Jack."

"I have to agree with Daniel, sir," Sam said. "It was the approximate size of a tankard."

The colonel glared at her, but said nothing.

Daniel continued the tale. "Unbeknownst to Jack, the alcohol content in that beer was a whole lot higher than any beer brewed on Earth. I suspected that might be the case when he began to giggle."

"I did _not_ giggle, Daniel! I _never_ giggle."

The archeologist thought about it. "Okay, it was snickering, then."

"Tittering," Teal'c suggested.

"Maybe sniggering," Sam then said.

"One more synonym, and I'm reneging on our deal," Jack declared through clenched teeth.

Hiding his smile, Daniel resumed his narration. "Among the people at the feast was the great-great-grandmother of the chieftain, a lovely, elderly lady named Meeka who'd reached the ripe old age of one hundred ten years."

"I swear she didn't look a day over fifty!" Jack claimed.

"I disagree, O'Neill," Teal'c said. "If she was a human on Earth, I would have guessed her age to be approximately sixty of your years."

Daniel nodded. "Sixty, definitely, which, apparently to Jack in his inebriated state, wasn't too old for him to start hitting on her."

Egeria frowned slightly. "Hitting on her?"

"To pay unsolicited sexual attention to a person with whom you wish to have intercourse," Teal'c quite helpfully explained.

"Hey!" Jack squawked. "I did not want to have sex with her! I was just . . . being friendly."

"Sure you were, Jack," Daniel responded. "Anyway, fortunately, Meeka was quite flattered and probably also thought it was pretty funny, so Jack didn't end up getting skewered on the end of a spear. We were all quite relieved, however, when he passed out right after inviting Meeka to dance."

Egeria was now smiling. "And you took videos of this?"

"Oh, yes. I guessed that, someday, I might be glad that I did, and I was right."

Jack grumbled something under his breath. "All right, now you've told her. It's her turn."

All eyes turned to Egeria as she began to speak. "I did not witness this event personally, but I trust that it is true. Ba'al had heard about an enormous flying creature with the power to instantly teleport itself across great distances. He sent a legion of his best Jaffa to the planet to find the creature, but they failed to do so after searching for many days. Impatient, Ba'al decided to go there himself. Shortly after his arrival, they spotted a very large bird-like animal with a wingspan of at least forty feet. Guessing that it was the creature they sought, they attempted to capture it. The animal, however, objected to this and flew away. As it flew over Ba'al, it defecated on him."

Jack started to smile. "It pooped in him?"

"Yes. Considering the size of the animal, the quantity of feces must have been quite large."

Jack started to laugh, along with Sam and Daniel. Even Teal'c gave a little chuckle.

"Oh, God," Jack gasped after several seconds. "I would have given my paycheck to see that."

"What happened after that?" Daniel asked with a grin.

"Quite understandably, Ba'al was enraged. He returned to his ship and ordered it to fire upon the area and destroy it. Thankfully, before that could be done, he received word that his fleet was under attack by another Goa'uld and immediately departed. Several weeks later, he learned that the stories about the animal's power were completely unfounded, merely a tale told by superstitious natives."

"Okay, that was worth the trade," Jack said. "I am going to treasure the image of Ba'al with alien bird poop all over his face for the rest of my life." He rubbed his hands together. "So, everybody ready for some s'mores?"

Sam's face lit up. "You brought chocolate, marshmallows and graham crackers?"

"I certainly did. I figured that this being Egeria's first experience with camping out, we needed to introduce her to one of the finer things of camping."

The colonel retrieved the fixings from his pack, and Daniel showed Egeria how to make one of the treats.

When Egeria took her first bite, her eyes opened wide as the sweet, gooey goodness hit her tastebuds.

"Oh, my!" she exclaimed after swallowing. "This is delicious!" She took another bite.

"Yep, that's why they call them s'mores," Jack said. "Because, after eating one, you're asking for some more."

Egeria did, indeed, ask for some more after her first one was gone, as did everyone else.

Later that night in Daniel and Egeria's tent, both of them warm and content within their sleeping bag, the former Tok'ra queen laid her head upon the archeologist's shoulder.

"I very much enjoyed this day," she said.

"Yeah, me, too. It was great having you here."

"Perhaps, in the future, I can accompany you on other missions."

"If we go on one where we could use your help, General Hammond might agree to that, though not on one that could be dangerous."

Egeria kissed him. "Then I will hope that there are many missions in the future when my knowledge and skills will be of use."

With a little smile on his face, Daniel pulled her a little closer and closed his eyes, thinking that sleeping in a tent was a whole lot nicer with Egeria there beside him.

* * *

His presence hidden by a cloaking device, the Ashrak passed, unseen, through the checkpoint. He rode down the elevator to the lower levels of the base. In a restroom stall he turned off the cloaking device to reveal that he was dressed as a USAF captain. Upon exiting the restroom, he asked someone for the location of the person he was seeking and learned that they were on an off-world mission. He did not recognize the name of the planet, so he found an unattended computer and got the coordinates.

After reactivating the cloaking device, the Ashrak left the base as invisibly as he'd arrived. He walked the mile to where his cloaked ship sat waiting for him. After leaving Earth's atmosphere, he jumped into hyperspace. In a matter of hours he would reach his destination. Then Egeria, the former queen of the Tok'ra, would die.


	21. Chapter 21

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

They got back to work bright and early the next morning, not stopping until lunchtime.

"So, how much longer is this going to take?" Jack asked over the meal. "It's all fine and dandy for you guys since you're keeping busy, but Teal'c and I are up here just twiddling our thumbs."

"I do not twiddle my thumbs, O'Neill," Teal'c responded.

"Okay, so _I'm_ twiddling my thumbs. The point I'm making is that there's nothing for us to do here."

"There is still a tremendous amount of data that we want to retrieve, sir," Sam told him, "and we haven't even finished going through the table of contents. We could be here a week and still not get all the stuff that we think would be of real value to us."

"Carter, we are not staying here a week."

"I know." Sam sighed. "I just wish that you and Daniel weren't the only people who can get the transporter to work. That makes it so much more difficult."

"I am quite intrigued by that," Egeria said. "I have to wonder precisely how it is that Daniel and Colonel O'Neill differ from other humans."

"Well, Thor said that Colonel O'Neill was genetically advanced in some way," Sam told her. "Obviously, he must have been born that way. The question is, was Daniel born different, too, or does it have to do with his ascension? I can only imagine how much the geneticists will be wanting to study their DNA and find out what's going on."

Jack made a face. "Yes, and I cannot express how much that thought makes me squirm. I don't like the idea of somebody toying with my DNA."

"Well, it's not like they'd be toying with it when it's still inside you, Jack," Daniel responded. "It isn't going to hurt you at all for them to study a sample of your DNA."

"Well, I still don't like it. The last time somebody did something with my DNA, I got cloned, which was an unpleasant experience from start to finish."

Surprised, Egeria gazed at him. "You were cloned?"

Everyone briefly filled her in on the actions of Loki, the rogue Asgard.

"You know, there's something else we need to consider," Daniel then said. "If Jack was born with that genetic difference, I should think the odds would be good that he's not the only one."

Sam nodded. "You're right. There could be others on Earth who are genetically advanced as well, but, unless we can identify the specific differences, it would be pretty much impossible to find anyone else who is."

* * *

With a will power committed to completing his assignment, the Ashrak pushed aside the agony in his body and slowly covered the distance to where his target was located.

The explosion of the hyperdrive engine seconds after exiting hyperspace above the planet had almost resulted in his death. If the ship's hull had been breached, he would have been killed. But, though severely damaged, it held firm long enough for him to reach an altitude where he could breathe. It would be impossible for him to fix the damaged engine, so he would have to abandon the ship and leave the planet through the Stargate. Fortunately, the sublight engine and sensors still worked.

More troubling than the state of his ship were the devastating injuries he sustained. Second, third and some fourth degree burns covered much of his body, his right arm a twisted ruin. He would heal, but it would take time, time he could not afford to take if he was to complete his mission. Failure was not an option, and the Goa'uld for whom he worked would not take kindly to any long delays.

Unfortunately, the damage to his body and the weakness it was causing would mean that he could not attack in the manner he usually would, with a knife or his bare hands. Even if he was certain that he had enough strength, the unmistakable smell of his own burned flesh would give his presence away long before he could get close enough to strike. Therefore, he would have no choice but to kill at a distance. The weapon he carried, however, would not work as long as he was cloaked, the cloak's energy output interfering with its functioning. This meant that he would have to drop the cloak before firing. Though it would make things more difficult, the Ashrak was confident that he would succeed. He had never before failed on a mission, and this would not be the time that he did.

* * *

SG-1 and Egeria finished their lunch and headed back toward the complex.

"Instead of you and Teal'c hanging around the complex, why don't you go walking around the city?" Daniel suggested to Jack.

"And see what? One crumbling ruin looks just like another to me."

As an archeologist, Daniel wanted to say something in response to that, but decided not to do so. "Well, I should think that taking a stroll through the ruins would be less boring than just staying in one place."

"I'll think about it."

They were about twenty yards from the complex when Teal'c thought he heard something. He turned just in time to see a man appear out of thin air and aim a weapon at them.

"Get down!" the Jaffa yelled even as the weapon discharged. The blast barely missed Daniel as he grabbed Egeria and pulled her to the ground. Teal'c fired his staff weapon, but the attacker had already disappeared. Straining his ears, Teal'c heard running footsteps and fired a blazing volley of shots, hoping to get lucky and hit the man.

"Teal'c, what is it?" Jack yelled from a kneeling position, his P-90 swinging around from side to side as he searched for the person who'd fired at them. Sam was doing the same thing, facing the opposite direction.

"A man with a personal cloaking device," the Jaffa replied. "My guess would be that he is an Ashrak."

Egeria gasped. "A Goa'uld assassin."

Daniel was suddenly very worried. "And I think we can all guess who he's here to kill." He briefly met Egeria's eyes, seeing that she knew he was talking about her.

Movement off to the left drew Sam's attention that way. She saw the Ashrak a split second before he opened fire. She cried out a warning even as she began firing back. The Ashrak's shot came so close to hitting her that it singed her BDU sleeve.

"Damn!" Jack cursed. "We need to get some cover. We're sitting ducks out here. Form a circle, Egeria in the middle."

Everyone stood, the four members of SG-1 forming a protective circle around the former queen, each of them facing outward, their eyes constantly scanning for the Ashrak. They began to cover the remaining distance to the complex. Before they'd made it halfway, the Ashrak appeared again, Daniel being the one to see him this time. He didn't hesitate to fire his Beretta, but the man was gone again in an instant.

They all relaxed just a little when they made it inside. Jack saw SG-12 coming at a run and gestured for them to take cover. He got on the radio and told them what was going on. He then turned to his team and Egeria.

"We're still not secure in here. There are too many entrances to this building to cover effectively against a guy that we can't see. He could come right up to us, and we wouldn't even know it until one of us got a knife in their chest. Carter, I suppose it's too much to hope that there's a Naquadah generator here that you can do the same thing to as you did at the Alpha Site to make that Ashrak visible."

"No, sir. We had no reason to bring one. At least there is one good thing. Apparently, the Ashrak can't fire his weapon while he's cloaked. If he could, we'd probably all be dead by now."

"Unfortunately, I doubt that little limitation is going to keep us alive for long. What I don't understand is why he's trying to take us out from a distance. I saw up close and personal what those guys can do when they're motivated. He could plow right through us."

"He appeared to be injured," Teal'c responded. "His face was deeply burned, and his right arm was severely maimed."

"If he was so badly hurt, why didn't he wait until he was healed before coming after Egeria?" Sam asked.

"Once an Ashrak has been given an assignment, he is expected to carry it out in the allotted time," Teal'c explained. "Failure to do so would not be tolerated by the Goa'uld for whom he works."

"Well, whatever it is that happened to him, that's probably the only lucky break we're going to get with that guy," Jack said. He got on the radio to SG-12. "Kelly, I need you to get to the comm station and contact the team at the gate. We need TERs if we're going to have any hope of getting this guy."

"Yes, sir."

"And warn everyone else to stay away from here. There's no point in giving this guy more targets."

Sam shook her head. "Sir, even at the fastest possible speed that they could cover the distance, it will still take hours for a team to get here from Earth."

"We need to get to the lab," Daniel said. "The Ashrak can't follow us there."

Jack nodded sharply. "Good thinking, Daniel. Get Egeria to the lab. Carter, you cover them. Teal'c and I will cover the door."

As quickly as possible, Daniel, Sam and Egeria made their way into the depths of the complex, each of them expecting the Ashrak to appear at any second. They all breathed a sigh of relief when they made it to the tower room. They ran to the base of the tower, aiming for the transporter. They'd just reached the spot when, suddenly, the Ashrak was there. Daniel called out a warning, but it was too late. Egeria's cry of pain burned through Daniel's mind as the three of them were beamed away.

In the lab, Daniel caught Egeria as she collapsed and lowered her to the floor.

"Oh, God," he choked out upon seeing the wound in her chest.

With Sam's help, they moved her off the transporter, then Sam packed the wound, telling the distraught Daniel to hold the bandages in place.

Egeria's eyelids fluttered open, and Daniel met her pain-filled gaze. Trying to keep the fear out of his voice, he began stroking her hair and said, "You're going to be okay. You're going to be all right."

"You are not hurt?" Egeria asked in a strained voice.

"No, I'm fine, and you will be, too." He looked up at Sam, whose eyes betrayed how worried she was.

"What's going on?" asked one of the scientists. "What's happening?"

Sam briefly explained the situation to him and the other scientists. She then turned back to her fellow teammate. "Daniel, as long as the Ashrak is in that room, Teal'c and the Colonel won't be able to make it down here. We can't even warn them that he's there."

Daniel had no answers or solutions. Fear was a tight knot in his belly. Egeria needed immediate medical attention, but they couldn't leave the lab without the danger of the Ashrak getting them.

At that moment, there was a flash of light, and Jack and Teal'c appeared.

"Crap," Jack cursed when he saw the wounded Egeria. "How bad?"

Sam didn't answer aloud, but her eyes told him that it was bad.

"We were worried that you wouldn't make it down here," she said. "The Ashrak attacked us in the tower room."

"We came into the room firing. If he was still in there, he probably hit the deck. I bet he's up there right now, scratching his head and wondering why the transporter isn't working for him." Jack walked up to Daniel and Egeria and knelt at his best friend's side. Daniel looked at him, and he saw the fear in the younger man's eyes. He laid a hand on the archeologist's shoulder.

"We're going to get out of this, Daniel, _all_ of us."

Daniel returned his gaze to the woman he loved. Seeing that she was shivering, he stripped off his jacket and covered her with it. He pressed a kiss to her forehead, fighting back tears. He knew that, if they didn't get her help soon, she was likely going to die.

Jack got to his feet and pulled Sam and Teal'c off to the side.

"Any ideas?" he asked.

"Not at the moment, sir," Sam replied. "All we can really do is wait for those TERs."

"And what if SG-12 didn't make it to the comm station?" Daniel asked, having heard her. "If that Ashrak went after them, they wouldn't have stood a chance. He could kill everyone up there."

"Didn't you say that there were other transporters?" Sam asked him. "What if we transport to one of them? Then we could make our way to the gate."

The archeologist shook his head. "I don't know where they are. The computer only gives street and building names, not where they are geographically. I could pick the wrong one and put us even further from the gate."

"Well, that would be better than just sitting here and waiting," Jack responded.

"I do not believe it would be safe for us to leave," Teal'c said. "Once the Ashrak confirms that he cannot transport to our location, he will likely return to his ship and begin scanning the area in search of us."

Sam nodded. "He's right. That's what I would do. As long as we're here, he won't be able to find us, but the second we leave, the sensors will be able to pick us up."

"You must surrender me to him," Egeria said weakly.

Daniel stared down at her. "No."

"Daniel, my life is not worth all of yours. I am the one he wants. Once he knows that I am dead, he will leave."

"No! We are not going to give you to him!"

"You bet we're not," Jack said. "We don't do things like that."

Trying to be as careful as possible, Daniel pulled Egeria's upper body onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her to give her some of his warmth. He stroked her cheek gently. It felt cold and clammy, which told him that she was going into shock. He felt so helpless, trapped in this lab as Egeria lay seriously wounded, unable to do anything to save her. He knew that, if she died, the better part of him would die with her.

Daniel lowered his face closer to hers. "I love you," he whispered.

One of her hands touched his face, though he could tell that the movement hurt her.

"I love you," she said back to him. She caught his eyes. "If I do not live, you must be strong, Daniel."

Tears flooded Daniel's eyes. "No. Don't say that. You have to be all right. I can't lose you."

"Daniel, please. I must know that you are going to carry on without me. Promise me."

Before Daniel could reply, she began to cough. She turned her head to the side. And then Daniel saw the blood.

"Sam!" he cried.

The major ran over. Seeing that Egeria was coughing up blood, Sam told Daniel to lower her back to the floor.

Once Egeria stopped coughing, Sam wiped her mouth, then gave her a little water. A short while later, she lost consciousness, her breathing ragged and labored.

Sam looked at Daniel. "Her lung must be damaged. I'm worried that it might collapse." She paused, not wanting to say the next words, that she didn't think Egeria was going to survive much longer. "Daniel—"

"No," he interrupted firmly, knowing what she was going to say.

"Daniel, if . . . if it happens, there's the sarcophagus."

"She'd have only eleven or twelve hours, Sam, maybe less before it would be too late. How many hours are we going to have to wait here before we dare leave? Then how long will it take us to get her down there?"

Jack stepped up to them. "We'll get her there in time, Daniel. I swear to you that we will."

"And what if it doesn't work even if we do? We all know that it's been overused. It could fail."

The others had no answer to that.

Grief welling up inside him, Daniel stared down at Egeria. There had to be something he could do. There _had_ to be!

And then he knew.

Daniel's teammates watched as his gaze lifted to the chair across the room. His face hardening with determination, he got to his feet and strode up to it.

"Daniel, what are you doing?" Sam asked.

"I'm getting us out of here."

"Daniel, you can't! You don't know how to use that thing."

Ignoring her, the archeologist sat in the chair. It immediately lit up and began to recline. In the next moment, Daniel felt something connect with his mind, and, all at once, his senses expanded. He felt the presence of the drones and knew how to make them work.

Blazing with golden light, two of the drones shot out of the tower, controlled by Daniel through a mental bond. He used their sensors to search for the Ashrak, his eyes seeing what they saw. Over the city they flew, looking for the smallest trace of the assassin.

And then Daniel felt it, or, rather, the drones did, an energy signature above the city, one that could only be coming from the engines of a ship. At his command, the drones homed in on the craft, its cloak of invisibility worthless in hiding it from them.

A warning blared onboard the Tel'tak. Shocked, the Ashrak looked up to see two brilliant balls of light heading straight toward his ship. It was the last thing his eyes ever saw.

Down in the lab, Daniel sensed rather than witnessed the destruction of the Ashrak and his ship. He opened his eyes and raised the chair to an upright position.

"He's dead," he announced coldly, feeling not the tiniest shred of regret over having taken a life.

His teammates shared a glance, their eyes then going back to Daniel as he left the chair and went to Egeria. He lifted her into his arms and carried her over to the transporter. The two of them were beamed away seconds later.

Jack turned to the scientists. "Come on, boys. You're going to have to leave your toys behind for now."

As quickly as possible, they got all of the scientists out of the lab. They told the men to go back to camp and informed everyone else in the city that the danger was past, then gave instructions to SG-12 to contact the team at the Stargate and let them know that the TERs were no longer needed.

By the time Sam, Jack and Teal'c caught up to Daniel, he'd almost reached the place where the ATVs were parked. Egeria hung limp and still in his arms. The moment they saw her, they knew that she was gone. When they saw the look in Daniel's eyes, they realized that he knew as well.

Daniel never let go of Egeria as he got on his ATV. He sat her sidesaddle in front of him, tenderly holding her to his body, her head tucked under his chin and her legs draped over his left thigh. It broke Sam's heart to see that. The look on his face was one of both devastation and determination. She, Jack and Teal'c all knew that he would not let anything on that planet or anywhere else in the universe stop him from getting Egeria to the sarcophagus.

The trip through the pass was made more slowly than normal out of necessity, Daniel unable to travel quickly with his burden. As the hours passed, he felt Egeria's skin grow gradually colder, death stealing the warmth from her body. The pain inside him was almost unbearable, a raw, bleeding wound. His only hope lay with the sarcophagus, that it had not been used so much that it would no longer function. If it didn't work, there would be nothing left for him. He'd lived through the death of one woman he loved. He didn't know if he could do it again.

When they reached the camp outside the city, they traded their ATVs for a horse-drawn wagon, unable to take the motorized vehicles into the city because of the danger of frightening any horses they passed. Daniel sat in the back with Egeria in his arms, Sam beside him. Jack and Teal'c were on the seat, the colonel at the reins. He drove the wagon as quickly as he could safely do so, his eyes glancing often over his shoulder and down at Daniel and the woman in his arms. The archeologist hadn't said a single word since his statement that the Ashrak was dead. Jack didn't want to think about what was going to happen if the sarcophagus didn't work.

When they reached the sarcophagus, and the two men guarding it saw Egeria, they immediately stepped aside. As Daniel placed her inside he was praying that it would work.

All four members of SG-1 waited tensely as the sarcophagus turned on, every one of them afraid that it would suddenly give out. The minutes passed, none of them certain that it was actually working.

At last, the lid opened. Daniel stared at Egeria, his heart in his throat. And then her eyes fluttered open. Not even giving her a chance to sit up, he scooped her out of the sarcophagus and crushed her to him, burying his face against her shoulder. And that's when the tears came.

Feeling him trembling against her, his tears wetting her shirt, Egeria just held him. She looked at his teammates and saw the smiles on their faces.

"Was I dead?" she asked.

"Yeah," Jack answered.

Daniel lifted his head and pressed a kiss against Egeria's lips. She wiped his tears away and smiled into his eyes.

"I am well, Daniel. All is well." She returned her gaze to the others. "What of the Ashrak?"

"He is dead," Teal'c replied.

"Come on," Jack said. "We need to get home. Hammond's going to want to know what happened."

All during the trip to the Stargate, Daniel never let go of Egeria, his emotions still raw. He had come so close to losing her forever. He knew that there would be nightmares in the days to come.

General Hammond listened somberly to SG-1's recount of what happened, his gaze going to Egeria, then Daniel when he learned of her death. In the archeologist's eyes, the commander of Stargate Command could see the lingering traces of the anguish he had suffered.

"The fact is, sir, that we were incredibly lucky," Sam said. "If that Ashrak hadn't been injured, he could have easily killed all four of us."

"But would he have?" Daniel asked. "If his contract was to kill Egeria, would he have killed all of us if it wasn't necessary?"

"If an Ashrak has been sent to kill a specific individual, he will usually target only that person, although he will kill as many as are needed to complete his mission and escape," Teal'c replied.

Sam noticed a frown on Daniel's face. "What is it, Daniel?"

"I was just thinking that, in that case, him being injured might have actually been worse for us. If he hadn't been injured, he could easily have snuck up on us, killed Egeria, then been gone. We could then have taken her to the sarcophagus. Instead, he almost killed all of us in his efforts to get her."

Sam thought about it. "I guess you do have a point. It's kind of ironic, isn't it, that his injury might have actually made things worse for us."

"Maybe," Jack responded. "Personally, I gotta think that Ashrak wouldn't have passed up the opportunity to kill all of us and score a few points with the Goa'uld."

"I guess that's something we'll never know," Daniel said. "It doesn't really matter now. He's dead, and we're not."

"Yes, and you demonstrated quite nicely how effective that Ancient weapon is."

"On that subject, Doctor Jackson, can you explain the process you used to control the drones?" Hammond asked.

"It was all done by mental command. As soon as I sat in the chair, I felt my mind interface with the computers and control systems. I could actually feel the drones and knew immediately how to make them work."

"That's amazing," Sam said. "It also means that there is very likely no way at all for us to find another way to control those drones. I wonder if that chair could be used to access all the data in those computers."

"That will have to wait, I'm afraid," Hammond responded. "We have a far greater concern now, namely, who sent that Ashrak after Egeria."

"I fear that it could be one of many Goa'uld," the former queen replied. "I am hated by all of them for what they perceived as a betrayal of our species. Any one of them would rejoice in my death. However, Ashraks will work only for a System Lord, so we need look no further than them."

"You know, I'm thinking that hiring one of those guys isn't Yu's style," Jack remarked.

Egeria nodded in agreement. "You are correct. I do not believe that it was him."

"Now, Ba'al, on the other hand, is just the kind of slime to do something like this. My money's on him."

Daniel frowned. "The point is that, whoever did it, when they find out that this Ashrak failed, they might send another one."

"And there's something else we need to think about," Sam said. "The only way that Ashrak could have known that Egeria was on Egerania was if he came here first and found out from someone."

That was sobering news for everyone.

"How can we protect this base from someone who is invisible?" Jack wondered.

Sam thought of something. "There might be a way, sir. We could modify a TER to emit a broad beam, one that would cover the entire width of the corridor near the second checkpoint. If we could get hold of one of those cloaking devices, I may be able to devise a sensor that will detect the unique energy signature and emit a warning, then activate the TER."

"Don't you have the one that the Ashrak at the Alpha Site used?" Daniel asked.

Sam shook her head. "It was damaged when Bra'tac killed him."

"We also have to set up something to protect the guys at the checkpoint," Jack said. "An Ashrak could take them out before they had a chance to shoot him."

"I am sorry that these things are necessary because of my presence here," Egeria said.

"Don't be sorry, Egeria," Sam told her. "The truth is that we're lucky some Goa'uld never sent an Ashrak after us. They're not exactly fans of ours."

Hammond nodded. "Major Carter is correct, and she brings to light an oversight on my part. After the incident with the Ashrak at the Alpha Site, I should have secured this base against infiltration by someone using one of those cloaking devices. That oversight nearly proved fatal for all of you. I intend to rectify it now."

"Okay, so how do we get one of those cloaking things?" Jack wanted to know. "Goa'uld flea market?"

"The Tok'ra may be able to help with that," Sam replied.

"Does that mean that we have to tell them about the lab?" Daniel asked.

"I don't think so. All we have to say is that Egeria was with us off-world. We don't have to tell them where."

A sharp gasp from Egeria made everyone turn to her.

"What's wrong?" Daniel asked her.

"If the Goa'uld know about me, then it is likely that they also know that the Tok'ra have a new queen."

The archeologist was suddenly very worried. "And the last thing that the Goa'uld would want would be for the Tok'ra to start swelling in numbers." He turned to the general. "We need to contact the Tok'ra immediately and warn them."

The Stargate at the Tok'ra base was dialed, and a message was sent through. It didn't take long for the Tok'ra to respond. Jacob and Ka'resh came through the gate. In the briefing room, they were told about the Ashrak attack, although they were not told that Egeria had actually been killed by the man.

"This is quite distressing," the female High Council member said. "You said in your message that you fear that Aranae is in grave danger. You believe that she is the target of another Ashrak?"

"It wouldn't surprise us," Sam replied. "The Goa'uld aren't going to want the Tok'ra's numbers to increase."

"The location of the world upon which our queen resides is known only to the High Council and a handful of other Tok'ra. It is not even recorded in our computers."

Jack stared at the female Tok'ra. "And are you willing to bet her life that that's enough to protect her?"

"Jack's right," Jacob said. "There is no way to be absolutely certain that the Goa'uld will not find out where Aranae is."

"Then what do you suggest?" Ka'resh asked.

Sam told her and Jacob about their plans to protect the base against infiltration by a cloaked person.

"For the present time, we can have the TER active all the time, but that will eventually deplete the power," she said. "We need to get hold of one of those cloaking devices so that I can make a sensor that can detect the energy signature. If we can set up something like that for here, I don't see why you couldn't do the same for the base where Aranae is. That won't protect her if the Goa'uld decide to send ships to blast the place, but at least it'll give you protection against a cloaked Ashrak."

"In the meantime, it might be safer to have Aranae stay here," Daniel suggested.

Jacob and Ka'resh shared a glance, both of them nodding slightly after a moment. They turned back to the others.

"I think you're right," Jacob said. "We'll have to clear it with the rest of the council, of course, but having Aranae stay here until we can get defenses put in place at the base would be the best course of action. As for getting hold of a personal cloaking device, it won't be easy. There aren't many out there, and any Goa'uld who has one doesn't advertise it. But we'll do our best."

Jacob and Ka'resh returned to the Tok'ra base to talk to the other council members and to warn the secondary base that there could be a threat against Aranae's life.

As Sam went off to begin modifying one of the TERs, Egeria and the rest of SG-1 went to get some dinner. The dark-haired woman could tell that Daniel was worried and knew that he feared for her safety. She was concerned as well, although her fear was more for the safety of the daughter who had taken on the mantle of the Tok'ra queen. Here on Earth, Egeria was more protected, but if the Goa'uld learned of Aranae's location, she would not be safe no matter what precautions were taken on that base. Egeria knew about the destruction of the Tok'ra base on Revanna. What the Goa'uld had done before, they could do again.

After finishing her meal, Egeria found out from Daniel what food Sam liked, then got something for the major. Sam was grateful for the "room service" and snatched bites off the tray as she continued to work on the TER.

Egeria watched her work, admiring the display of the astrophysicist's intellect.

"Will it take much longer to complete?" she asked.

"No, not long. I just need to make a few more adjustments."

"Good. I know that Daniel is worried, and I am sure that installing that will ease is mind."

Sam looked up at her, hesitating before saying what was on her mind. "I think it just about killed him when you died. None of us knew for sure if the sarcophagus was going to work or if it would give out from overuse. He never let go of you, not on the entire trip back to the city. He carried you in front of him on the ATV." She shook her head. "I can't even imagine what that did to him, holding you for all those hours when you were dead. I know what it would do to me if I'd been in his situation."

Egeria's throat tightened. She had not known that Daniel carried her dead body on the long drive back to the city.

She said goodbye to Sam and went up one floor to the archeologist's office. She found him working on his mission report. When he looked up at her, she crossed the room, pulled him up out of the chair, and gathered him into her arms. Wondering about the reason for the hug, Daniel quite willingly accepted it, pulling her close and resting his cheek on her hair.

After around half a minute, Egeria looked up at him.

"Samantha has told me about the journey back to the city, how you held me for all those hours."

Daniel's eyes immediately left hers. He didn't want her to see the pain he felt when he thought about her death and the hours that followed. But she was having none of that. She cupped his cheek and turned his face back to hers.

"Do not hide your pain from me, Daniel."

He closed his eyes for a moment and gave an unsteady sigh. "It hurt," he said in a low voice. "When I realized that you were dead, I—" He broke off, his voice cracking. "I kept thinking, 'God, please not again. I can't lose her, too.'"

"But you did not lose me, Daniel. I am here, alive and well, thanks to you." She searched his eyes. "I know that you now fear for my safety."

Daniel separated from her and sat on the edge of the desk. "I should have known this might happen. I should have realized that, sooner or later, the Goa'uld would find out about you and might try to kill you. I just wanted to believe that everything would be okay."

"This is not your fault, Daniel. Please do not feel guilty over this."

Daniel stared at the floor. "I had hoped that. . . ."

"What?"

The archeologist let out a sigh. "I'd hoped that, sooner or later, you'd be able to live off-base, and we could spend more time together at my place. But, now, every time we leave this base, I'm going to worry that some invisible assassin is out there tracking us, waiting for the moment to strike."

"Daniel, we cannot allow our lives to be ruled by the fear that someone will come to kill me. During all those years that I was in hiding from Ra, I knew that, at any time, he could find me, yet that did not stop me from doing things like taking a walk on a nice day or visiting people in a nearby village or town. I will not let this situation prevent me from doing things with you like what we did on Monday or spend a night with you in your home. I refuse to let this cheat us of those moments of joy."

Daniel pulled her back into his arms and kissed her. He then rested his forehead against hers.

"I love you," he told her. "I will do whatever is necessary to keep you safe . . . but you're right. We can't let the threat from the Goa'uld control our lives. I wouldn't give them that satisfaction."

Egeria smiled and pressed another kiss to his lips. "Good. Then, on your next leave, we can go to Rome."

Daniel returned the smile. "You bet."


	22. Chapter 22

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

It was two a.m. when Egeria was awakened by an outcry of anguish. She turned to see Daniel apparently in the throes of a nightmare. He was breathing heavily, and tears were leaking from the corners of his eyes, an expression of devastating grief on his face.

Egeria quickly sat up and began stroking his face. "Wake up, Daniel. I am here. It is just a dream." When her soothing words failed to rouse him, she shook his shoulder.

Daniel gasped, his eyes flying open, their blue depths filled with horror and pain. Then he saw Egeria. In the next instant, she was in his arms. Daniel held her tightly as his thundering heart quieted and the nightmare images faded. At last, he loosened his grip enough for her to look at him. She wiped the tears from his cheeks.

"I'm sorry I woke you," he said. "I should have warned you that it might be best if you didn't stay with me tonight."

Egeria frowned. "You suspected that you would have a nightmare about yesterday's events?"

"Yeah. I'm no stranger to bad dreams, not since my parents were killed."

"It distresses me that you suffer such nightmares. Is there nothing I can do to ease them?"

"Nothing more than what you did this time. Having you here when I wake up helps a lot. If you weren't here, I'd want to go to your quarters just to assure myself that you're okay."

"Then not a night will pass that I am not here with you, my Daniel."

They shared a kiss, then Egeria laid back down with her head on Daniel's shoulder. With her body close to his, her warm breath wafting across the bare skin of his chest, he relaxed and slowly drifted back to sleep.

Daniel slept peacefully throughout the rest of the night. He and Egeria were heading to breakfast when there was an unscheduled off-world activation. A few moments later, SG-1 was called to the briefing room, where they were told that it was the Tok'ra who'd dialed in with the news that it had been agreed by all members of the High Council that Aranae should stay at the SGC until a system to detect a cloaked Ashrak could be put in place at her present location.

An hour and a half later, the team gated through to the primary Tok'ra base, where they were met by Jacob.

"Things are a little tense around here," he told them as they walked to the tunnel entrance. "Most of the Tok'ra have been armed with TERs, both here and at the secondary base, and sizable forces are guarding the entrances. We've contacted many of the spies we have positioned within the ranks of the System Lords, but, so far, we haven't learned which Goa'uld sent the Ashrak. In fact, none of the System Lords have been talking about Egeria at all, at least not within earshot of our spies."

"Isn't that kind of strange?" Daniel asked. "I'd think that, once they found out about her, she'd be a hot topic."

Jacob nodded. "You're right about that, which leads us to believe that the System Lord who found out about her and sent that Ashrak may not have told the other Goa'uld."

"Why keep it a secret?" Sam questioned.

"Perhaps the System Lord wishes to be the one to have the pleasure of bringing about her death and fears that, if the others learn of her existence, one of them will succeed in doing so first," Teal'c suggested.

"Considering the size of their egos and their delight in one-upmanship, you may very well be right," Jacob responded. "After she was dead, they'd crow to the others about their achievement."

When they entered the tunnel, SG-1 saw that Jacob wasn't kidding about the guard. Ten Tok'ra were stationed a few yards from the entrance, every one of them with a TER in their hands. They were taking turns scanning the entrance with the devices, assuring that no Ashrak would get past unseen.

SG-1 was met by three other members of the High Council in the council chambers.

"We wish to thank you for your timely warning," Delek said. "Though we cannot be sure that our new queen is a target, we must assume that she is. Have you succeeded in putting in place the added security measures on your base?"

Sam nodded in reply. "A modified TER has been installed at the second checkpoint. For right now, it will scan the entrance continually, though the sooner we can get a sensor set up the better."

"Now, you do know that we can't have Aranae making any babies while she's there, don't you?" Jack asked.

"Yes, of course," Ka'resh replied. "She will not spawn during her stay with you. Hopefully, that stay will be a brief one."

"We're already trying to get our hands on a personal cloaking device," Jacob told the team.

"This brings up a question," Fennol said. "You stated that you killed the Ashrak who attempted to kill Egeria. Why were you unable to retrieve the cloaking device he had?"

"Because there was nothing left of it or him," Jack answered. "He was blown to smithereens."

"I see."

Ka'resh got to her feet. "Come. It is time that we go to the Stargate for Aranae's arrival."

SG-1 and the council members went to the surface, then walked to the gate, accompanied by a dozen armed Tok'ra.

They'd been waiting at the gate for around five minutes when it dialed up. Moments after the wormhole was established, Aranae came walking through with her mate, Nefer, and four other Tok'ra who were acting as her personal guard. The Tok'ra queen smiled brightly upon seeing Daniel.

"It's good to see you again . . . Daniel," she said, the deliberate pause and the twinkle in her eyes telling the archeologist that she was actually thinking a different word. Grateful that she hadn't said "Father" instead, Daniel greeted her.

Aranae came down the steps. "I'm looking forward to spending some time on your base and with Mother. It will be a nice change of pace."

"Yeah, I bet," Jack said. "It must be a drag constantly being pregnant and giving birth."

Aranae smiled. "I'm not doing that every day, Colonel. In fact, I have had only three spawning cycles to date. I can spawn no more children than there are willing Jaffa to carry them."

Sam turned to her father. "Yes, how is that going? We know that Bra'tac was going to talk with the rebel Jaffa about it."

"So far, we have around four hundred Jaffa who are carrying Tok'ra larvae," Jacob replied. "We're expecting to get more volunteers soon. Using only females severely limits the numbers we can get, but we're very hesitant to use male Jaffa because of their mortality rate."

"So, shall we go?" Jack asked. "I don't know about the rest of you, but I'll feel a lot more secure once we're back at the SGC."

Daniel dialed the gate, and Sam sent the IDC. SG-1, Aranae, Nefer, Jacob and the four Tok'ra bodyguards all went through the gate. Hammond was in the gate room to greet them.

"Welcome to Earth and Stargate Command," he said to the Tok'ra queen with a smile.

"Thank you, General Hammond," she responded. "It is a pleasure to be here."

"Your room has been prepared for you. Once you're settled, I'll be happy to give you a tour of the base."

"I would like that, although I would like to visit with Egeria first."

"Of course." The general turned to Daniel. "Doctor Jackson, would you like to show her to her room, then take her to see Egeria?"

"Sure."

After getting the room number, Daniel took Aranae and Nefer to the quarters that they'd be sharing. Jacob, Sam and the Tok'ra bodyguards went with them. The archeologist wondered if the guards planned on staying the whole time that Aranae would be there.

Nefer chose to stay in the room, and Sam's presence was requested over the PA system by one of the other scientists, so it was just Daniel, Jacob, Aranae and her four guards who went to Egeria's lab. The guards remained outside, guarding the door, as the others entered.

Upon seeing Aranae and Jacob, Egeria came forward with a happy smile. She and her daughter greeted each other with a long hug.

"It is wonderful to see you," Egeria said. She then gave Jacob a hug. "We must go someplace where we can talk. There is so much I have to tell you."

"I'd love to join you, but I have a staff meeting scheduled in less than an hour," Daniel said. He smiled. "Of course, this means that you'll be free to talk about me behind my back." He gave Aranae a hard stare. "Don't you speak one word about you-know-what. My teammates and Hammond are the only ones here who know about that, and I don't want it made common knowledge."

Aranae grinned. "Not a word of it will pass my lips," she promised, "at least while we are within hearing distance of others."

The archeologist stared at her for a while longer. "I guess that's about as much as I can hope for from you."

After Daniel had left, Egeria went with Jacob and Aranae to the commissary, the contingent of guards shadowing them. The bodyguards remained at the entrance as the others got some beverages and took a seat.

Aranae studied her mother's face. "You look happy. Does this mean that you and Daniel are together now?"

A brilliant smile lit Egeria's face. "Yes, and I cannot tell you how wonderful it is. For so long I dreamed of this, believing that it would never be. Now that it has finally come true, the joy it gives me is even greater than what I had imagined."

Aranae smiled happily and took her mother's hands. "I am so happy for you. It is wonderful to see you truly happy after all these centuries."

"I agree," Selmak said. "There are still a few Tok'ra who do not agree with your decision, but I think that, if they knew how happy this has made you, they would change their minds."

"How are things with my children?" Egeria asked. Noticing a look that passed between Jacob and Aranae, she asked, "Is there a problem?"

"There was . . . a situation," Selmak admitted, "one that I am not happy about. I just recently learned that one of our spies has infiltrated Olokun's inner circle. He's been in that position for over a month, but the other members of the High Council chose not to tell me."

"I wanted to tell him at the time, but I was outvoted," Aranae quickly said. "Now that I'm the queen, however, I was not going to put up with secrets being kept from any member of the High Council."

Egeria was frowning severely. "Why was Selmak not told immediately?"

"Because they are questioning my objectivity," Selmak replied. "They have concerns about my close ties with Earth and Stargate Command because of Jacob. They believe that, if I knew about the spy, I would pass on the information to Earth."

"But I do not understand. The Tok'ra and Earth are allies. Why would the Tok'ra wish to keep such important information from Stargate Command?"

It was Aranae who answered. "Most of the High Council believe that we need to keep secret where our spies are even from Earth for fear that the information might be leaked."

Egeria was still frowning. "I am not happy about this. It is not wise to keep such secrets from ones who are our allies in the fight against the Goa'uld. Not knowing where they can turn to for aid within the ranks of a Goa'uld could make the difference between success and failure in any strike Stargate Command makes against that Goa'uld. It could even result in the death or capture of an SG team."

Selmak's head bowed for a moment, signaling that Jacob was taking control. "I couldn't agree more. In Earth's history, there have been many times when knowing what allied spies we had in enemy territory made all the difference in the world. Selmak and I have talked about this a lot, and we're both in agreement. The problem is that the Tok'ra have operated under this cloak of secrecy for so long that many are not willing to budge an inch. They're failing to see the advantages of sharing information like that with Earth."

"I am with Selmak and Jacob on this," Aranae said. "I have been putting pressure on the other council members to change it." She smiled slightly. "There are advantages to being the queen. It gives me more clout."

"If my words still hold any weight, then I will add my recommendations to yours," Egeria said.

"I'm sure that they would, Mother. Though you are no longer a Tok'ra, you will always be respected and revered by us."

They moved on to other, more pleasant topics. Egeria told them about the work she had been doing and some of the fun things that she had done in these weeks that she'd been living on Earth.

"When we are able, Daniel and I plan to visit Rome," she said with a smile.

"Rome still exists?" Aranae asked with a smile.

Jacob was the one who replied. "There's still a city there, and there are ruins of ancient Roman structures, but the Rome of today is a lot different from when Egeria lived there."

Egeria nodded. "Yes, this is true, but it will still be wonderful to see it. Daniel has told me that there are still some remnants of the things that Numa had constructed." She smiled. "He does not know this yet, but my plan is that, someday, we will go to Egypt. It is where he was born, and he spent most of his life there until the deaths of his parents. I know that the land and its people still have a great deal of meaning to him, and I want him to share with me all his memories of his years there and show me the places that are important to him."

They talked for another twenty minutes, during which Egeria asked if Jacob would be staying at the SGC for a while or heading back to the Tok'ra base. He answered that he planned on leaving tomorrow.

"And what of the Tok'ra who accompanied you?" the former queen asked.

"Though I said that it was not necessary, the High Council insisted that they remain with me," Aranae replied. "However, I do not intend to put up with them following me all over the place. Jacob has told me much of Earth, and, before I leave, I would very much like to see at least a little bit of it. That will not be possible if I have four very serious Tok'ra going wherever I go."

Saying goodbye to each other, the three of them went their separate ways, Egeria returning to her lab, Jacob going off in search of his daughter, and Aranae going back to the VIP quarters – accompanied by her ever-present bodyguards.

Egeria had been in her lab for around half an hour when Daniel came in.

"So, did you have a nice chat?" he asked.

"Yes, we did."

Daniel took a seat. "How is Aranae doing? Is she settling into the job of being queen?"

"She is, although she misses being an active part of planning missions." Egeria smiled. "She says that her life is a lot more boring now."

"I bet. Maybe she should take up a hobby."

Egeria laughed. "I will suggest that to her."

Daniel grew serious. "I've been thinking a lot about this situation. I'm really wondering how it is that one of the System Lords found out about you. It wasn't from us, and they certainly didn't get the information from the Asgard."

Egeria studied him closely. "You fear that it was one of the Tok'ra who betrayed me."

"I don't think that we can rule it out."

Egeria's eyes left his. "The thought of one of my own children betraying me is very upsetting."

Seeing the look on her face, Daniel laid a hand on her arm. "It may not have been willingly, Egeria. If one of the Tok'ra spies was found out, the Goa'uld might have managed to get them to talk. Anubis has technology that allows him to get any information he wants straight from someone's brain, and Osiris is in league with him."

"Even so, I hope that it was not a Tok'ra."

That evening, SG-1 had dinner with the Tok'ra, including the four guards, whom Aranae insisted did not need to stand guard at the entrance of the commissary. Afterwards, Daniel, Egeria and Jacob joined Aranae and Nefer in their VIP quarters. The guards were absent, Aranae having all but ordered them to go off to their own quarters and relax for the rest of the evening.

The Tok'ra queen very much enjoyed the sight of Daniel and Egeria sitting close together, exchanging little looks and touches from time to time. It was clear to see how deeply in love they were, and she did not doubt that a day would come when she was invited to attend their wedding.

Aranae's gaze went to the man who was her love. The Tok'ra did not marry, but they did declare life bonds. That was something that she and Nefer had not yet done, but she believed that it would happen eventually.

A knock on the door interrupted the conversation, and Nefer rose to answer it. When he opened the door, however, no one was there.

Suddenly, Nefer cried out in pain and staggered back. The others were shocked to see a dagger protruding from his chest.

"Nefer!" Aranae screamed as he fell.

As the door slammed shut, a masked figured appeared out of thin air, a zat gun in his hand. The zat was fired, and Aranae went down. As the weapon was turned in Daniel and Egeria's direction, the archeologist grabbed Egeria and dove to the floor, knocking over the table in the process. The blast hit the table harmlessly.

Taking cover behind the table with Daniel and Egeria, Jacob grabbed the zat gun that he'd been carrying at the insistence of the other council members. He peeked around the table to fire off a shot, but his target was no longer visible. He fired anyway, shooting off several blasts around the room, hoping that he'd hit the man who was trying to kill them.

With an invisible assailant in the room, Daniel knew that their only hope was to get help. He looked across the room at the telephone. There was no way that any of them would be able to make it to the phone without getting hit. The only advantage they had was that the would-be assassin had to uncloak in order to fire the zat. That limitation, however, did not apply to him using a weapon like a knife.

Jacob fired off another round of zat blasts, apparently hoping to keep the attacker at bay. Daniel looked at the still form of Aranae. If the assailant shot her again, he'd kill her. They needed to get her undercover.

"Jacob, cover me!" Daniel cried.

As Sam's father blasted the room with his zat, Daniel made a dash for Aranae, grabbed her up, and dove back behind the table.

"We can't hold him off forever," Jacob said. "He can sneak right up to us without us even seeing him." He followed up those words with another volley of zat gun fire.

Daniel's mind scrambling to come up with a way for them to get out of this, his gaze went to the door that was just a few feet away. It was the door to the bathroom.

"Jacob," Daniel whispered. "The bathroom. If we can get in there. . . ."

"Gotcha," the Tok'ra said. "Okay, you grab Aranae. We go on three."

With Egeria's help, Daniel managed to get the unconscious woman over his shoulder as Jacob fired off another half dozen shots around the room.

"Ready?" Jacob asked. Getting a nod from the other two, he said, "Okay. One . . . two . . . three!"

As Jacob yelled the last number, he, Daniel and Egeria surged to their feet, Sam's father firing repeatedly. Egeria reached the bathroom door first and flung it open. She rushed into the room, followed by Daniel. As Jacob made his move to follow them, he was struck by a zat blast coming from behind the bed and fell. Having no other choice, Daniel shut the bathroom door and locked it, leaving Jacob outside.

"Daniel, what are we going to do?" Egeria asked as the archeologist gently laid Aranae on the floor. "We have no weapon now and no way to call for help. If this Ashrak has a weapon like the one carried by the man who attacked us on Egerania, that door will not stop him for long."

Before Daniel could answer, the sound of someone trying the doorknob turned his and Egeria's attention to the door. Fearing that it would be blasted open at any second, the two trapped people held their breath. When the door remained intact, the archeologist relaxed fractionally. But then he remembered something, what happened on the day that Secundus Marcellus attempted to kill him on Estrania. Their attacker didn't need a weapon like the Ashrak on Egerania had. He could disintegrate the door with the zat gun.

Just then, Daniel's eyes fell upon the bathroom vanity, and an idea leaped into his mind. He rushed over to it and flung open the door under the sink. He gave silent thanks to the janitorial staff when he saw a small collection of cleaning supplies. He scooped up the can of spray disinfectant and set it on the vanity top.

"Get in the shower stall," he told Egeria as he picked up Aranae and put her in the stall.

Egeria's expression firmed. "No. I will not hide as you face him."

"Egeria, you have to protect Aranae." He handed her a couple of the things from underneath the sink. "Aim for his eyes."

Knowing that he was right and hating the fact that he was, the former queen grabbed hold of him, pressing her lips to his in a hard kiss. She then got inside the shower stall and shut the door.

Daniel picked up the disinfectant and positioned himself beside the bathroom door, his back against the wall. He did not have long to wait. Three zat blasts hit the door in rapid succession.

Even as the door disintegrated, Daniel swung around, aerosol can raised. He pressed the button and hit the startled attacker square in the eyes. The man cried out in pain, a hand going to his eyes. Knowing that he didn't have the luxury of not fighting dirty, Daniel then kicked the guy in the one place that the archeologist figured might slow him down – right in the groin.

As expected, the man grabbed his injured privates, the zat gun falling from his grasp. Daniel made a grab for the weapon, but, even as he curled his hand around it, an agonizing blow to his side sent him crashing to the floor.

Expecting another blow, Daniel was surprised by a loud clunk. He looked up, and his eyes encountered the sight of Egeria wielding the toilet tank lid, which she had just used to brain the attacker. The man was on his back, apparently stunned.

Daniel was thinking that he should zat the guy for good measure when the would-be assassin abruptly disappeared. Cursing, Daniel shot the place where the man had been, then fired off several more blasts around the room as he yelled at Egeria to get back in the stall. He scrambled into the bathroom, pressing his back against the vanity, the zat gun raised before him and his eyes searching for something he could not see. Had he succeeded in hitting the guy? There was no way for him to know. If he left this room, he'd be completely open to attack, although his present situation wasn't much better, not with the doorless opening right there in front of him.

Daniel thought about Jacob's zat gun and the knife that had been used to stab Nefer, two weapons that the assailant could use against him. Into his memory came the day he died at the hands of Spurius, the terrible agony of being stabbed to death. Was that how he would die again?

At that moment, the blessed sound of someone knocking frantically on the VIP room's door came to Daniel's ears, followed by a voice asking if they were okay.

"We're under attack!" Daniel yelled as loudly as possible.

Apparently, his voice was heard, because the person started slamming against the door, apparently trying to break it down. And then a base-wide alarm began blaring. After three blows, Daniel heard the door cave in. There was the sound of a zat gun firing, a body hitting the floor, and then running feet.

Afraid to move, Daniel stayed right where he was, eyes fixed upon the bathroom doorway. When someone suddenly came into view, the archeologist nearly shot him, but then saw that it was a Marine.

"Doctor Jackson! What the hell's going on? Some guy just shot Busfield with a zat, then vanished."

Daniel struggled to his feet, ignoring the fiery pain in his side. He saw Egeria open the shower door, her gaze going straight to him. Beside her was Aranae, who had regained consciousness.

"Someone just tried to kill us," he told the Marine. "He's got a cloaking device, so you need to get people armed with TERs."

The Marine went to the phone as Daniel left the bathroom, followed by Egeria and Aranae. When the Tok'ra queen saw Nefer, she let out a cry and ran to him, falling to her knees at his side. She was weeping as she felt for a pulse.

"He is alive!" she cried. She picked up his hand and held it to her chest as she began stroking his face.

At that moment, Jacob roused from unconsciousness and got unsteadily to his feet. By then, several airman and Marines had arrived in response to the alarm, along with Janet and a medical team, who began working on Nefer. And then Jack was there. He strode up to Daniel, Jacob and Egeria.

"What happened?" he asked sharply.

"Somehow, an Ashrak got on the base," Sam's father replied.

"What? But how?"

"There's only one way I can think of. He must have been at the Tok'ra base and snuck through the gate with us. He's probably been here all day, waiting for the perfect time to strike and get both Egeria and Aranae at the same time."

"I agree that's how he got here," Daniel said, "but I don't think he's an Ashrak."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, first of all, he had his face covered. An Ashrak would have no reason to hide his identity. Secondly, if it had been an Ashrak, I don't think that any of us would be alive. I read the report about the Ashrak attack on the Alpha Site. Those guys are superhuman, even for a Goa'uld. Do you really think that we'd have been able to stand against one of them as well as we did? With the one that attacked us yesterday, we got lucky. He'd already been seriously injured, so he couldn't attack us the way that the one at the Alpha Site did."

Jacob let out a sigh. "I'm afraid that you're right. But that can mean only one thing."

"Which is?" Jack asked.

"That the guy who attacked us was a Tok'ra, one who didn't want his identity known in case one of us survived his attack."

"Crap. This is definitely not good."

Nefer was being put on a gurney. Concerned about the Tok'ra, the others went over there.

"How is he?" Egeria asked, her heart aching for Aranae, whose face was pale with fear for the man she loved.

"He's lost a lot of blood," Janet replied. "If he was human, he'd probably be dead. We need to get him into surgery to repair the damage."

She and the medical team left with the injured Tok'ra, Aranae accompanying them. Teal'c had arrived and was relieved to see that the others were okay.

Just then, Daniel thought of something. "Where are Aranae's guards? I'd have thought that they would have come running when the alarm went off."

They checked the guards' rooms, but found no trace of the four men.

"Where the hell are they?" Jack wondered.

"Uhhh . . . I just had a terrible thought," Daniel said. "What if that guy used the zat on them?"

Jack grimaced. "You mean . . . three times?"

"Yeah."

Horrified and anguished over the death of four of her children at the hands of another, Egeria closed her eyes in grief.

"As much as I hate to think about it, he probably planned on doing the same thing to us," Jacob said. "Nobody would have known that something was wrong until the morning. Once it was discovered that we were missing, a search would have been started."

"And, in the meantime, the killer could have escaped through the Stargate when SG-15 left on their mission," Daniel said.

Teal'c's expression hardened. "He must be apprehended. He cannot be allowed to escape."

Jack got on the phone to the control room and warned them that a man with a cloaking device might try to get through the gate. He told them to contact General Hammond, who had left for the night, and get some people armed with TERs down there.

"Jack, Aranae and Egeria are still at risk," Daniel told him.

"Right. I'll send a team up to the infirmary. You stay here with Egeria, and I'll put a couple of men at the door."

As soon as two men with TERs arrived to guard the door of the VIP room, Jack, Jacob and Teal'c left to join the manhunt.

Daniel righted the table, wincing at the pain it caused in his side. Egeria noticed the wince.

"You are hurt," she said in alarm.

"He managed to hit me in the side. I'll probably have a humdinger of a bruise, but I'm all right."

Egeria insisted that he sit and rest. He lowered himself into one of the chairs, doing his best to hide how much he was really hurting. He suspected that he might have a couple of cracked ribs, but, if he told Egeria, she'd try to make him go to the infirmary, and there was no way that he was going to leave her alone, not until after the man who'd tried to kill her was no longer a threat. He knew that he'd have hell to pay from Janet for not going to the infirmary right away, but so be it.

"I wish that I could be with Aranae," Egeria said, sitting in one of the other chairs. "She must be so terribly worried about Nefer." She grasped Daniel's hand. "As I stood in that shower stall, I was terrified, not for myself but for you. When I heard you fighting with the one I thought was an Ashrak, I could not simply stay in that stall as you fought for our lives."

Daniel smiled ever so slightly. "Interesting choice of weapons that you used."

A similar smiled curved Egeria's lips. "There were not many options available." The smile did not last for long. "Even as I wielded it, I feared that I would not have enough strength to stop him. For the first time since becoming human, I felt weak and wished that I was still a Tok'ra so that I would have the strength that I did as one."

"You're not weak, Egeria. Okay, so, as a human, you don't have the physical strength that you did as a symbiote in a host, but that doesn't make you weak. You still managed to get that guy off me and probably saved my life."

A long moment of silence followed Daniel's statement. It was broken by Egeria.

"Why would one of my children do this, Daniel?" she asked, a tone of anguish in her voice.

"I wish I knew. Killing both you and Aranae would be a devastating blow to the Tok'ra. Unless Thor kept some of the DNA sample from your symbiote body, the Tok'ra would not be able to create another queen, and if he didn't keep the scan of your consciousness, we'd be unable to download it into another body. The Tok'ra would be back to the situation they were in before, except for having gained a few hundred new Tok'ra larvae. I can understand why the Goa'uld would want that, but not why a Tok'ra would . . . unless he is in league with a Goa'uld. One thing's for sure. We need to find him. As long as he is free, you and Aranae are at risk. It also means that we can't dial the gate since he could escape through it unless we have guys stationed in the gate room with TERs."

A knock startled both of them. Daniel cautiously approached the door and asked who it was. It was one of the guards stationed there who answered.

"Sir, there is a Tok'ra here who says that he is among the ones who came through with the queen. He's claiming that the man who tried to kill her and Egeria ambushed him and left him for dead, and he only just now regained consciousness."

Daniel and Egeria exchanged a long look.

"Dare we trust him?" the former queen wondered aloud. "He may be the assassin."

"I was thinking the same thing. We're just going to have to be careful."

Daniel opened the door. He immediately recognized the Tok'ra as one of Aranae's four bodyguards. The man's eyes went to Egeria.

"I am relieved that you are unharmed," he said. "I understand that Queen Aranae is all right as well. May I enter?"

"Forgive us, Ushsen," Egeria replied, "but your trustworthiness is in question. We cannot be certain that you are not the man who attempted to kill us."

The Tok'ra nodded his head once. "Of course. That is to be expected."

"Where have you been all this time?" Daniel asked.

"In the men's lavatory in one of the stalls. I was attacked by a man I could not see. I believe that his intention was to kill me, but I can only assume that something prevented him from making sure that I was dead. Even so, it took all of this time for me to regain consciousness, and there was serious damage to my host's body that needed to be healed. I understand that the other members of Aranae's guard are missing and presumed dead."

Knowing that they still couldn't trust him, Daniel let the man inside, telling one of the guards to remain in the room as well.

With the SF watching the Tok'ra like a hawk, his hand resting on his sidearm, Daniel and Egeria questioned Ushsen further. He seemed to be sincere in his regret and dismay over his failure to be at Aranae's side when she needed him, but Daniel knew that the guy might just be a good actor.

"Would you be willing to submit to a Zartarc test?" Egeria asked the man, also not having relaxed her guard.

"Of course. I will do what is necessary to prove my innocence."

"Until we do that, you'll have to stay in a holding room, under guard," Daniel said.

The Tok'ra nodded, apparently accepting that. "I wish to see the queen and express my regret that I was not at her side to protect her."

Daniel decided that it wouldn't be wise to let this guy anywhere near Aranae until the truth of his story was verified.

"I think that can wait," he responded. "We'll let her know what happened to you. After the test clears you, you can speak with her."

The Tok'ra frowned slightly, then said, "Very well. You are wise to take all precautions. If you do not wish to question me further, I will take leave of you now."

The man turned to go. As he passed the SF, he suddenly grabbed the man and, with a quick, brutal movement, snapped the airman's neck. An instant later, the Tok'ra had Daniel in his grasp, a knife at the archeologist's throat.

"No!" Egeria cried, taking a quick step toward the man she loved.

"Stay where you are," Ushsen commanded. She did as he said, though every fiber of her being wanted to wrest that knife away from Daniel.

"Why are you doing this?" she asked. "You are Tok'ra, sworn to fight against the Goa'uld. What you are doing makes you no better than them."

Ushsen sneered. "The Tok'ra are fools, just as you were when you chose to forsake your heritage and the power you possessed on some misguided quest to please this weak human."

Egeria's eyes hardened in anger. "My quest was anything but misguided, and Daniel is far from weak. Though physically less powerful than you, he has more inner strength than one such as you could ever dream of possessing."

"No amount of inner strength will keep this blade from slicing his throat if you do not do as I say."

"What do you want?"

"I want you to summon Aranae here."

"Don't do it, Eger—" Daniel's voice broke off with a sharp hiss as the knife cut slightly into his neck. He could feel a trickle of blood begin coursing down his skin.

The sight of the blood made a cold knot of fear coil in Egeria's belly. She met Daniel's eyes. The look he gave her was clearly saying not to do it, but how could she refuse when his life was on the line? Yes, there was the sarcophagus, but she knew as well as Daniel that it could stop functioning at any time. She could not count on it to bring him back to life if Ushsen killed him. Yet to do as the man asked would certainly lead to the death of her daughter, herself and probably Daniel as well.

"What assurance do I have that, if I do as you say, you will not kill Daniel anyway?" she asked.

"He is not the one whose death I seek, though I should kill him merely for the insolence he showed in daring to tell a Goa'uld queen what she should do. I will leave him alive."

Thinking that the man was sounding more and more like a Goa'uld every second, Daniel ventured to speak. "And what about Egeria?"

"Her death is long overdue," Ushsen answered coldly, "something that Ra should have done instead of placing her is stasis."

Daniel wanted to tell Egeria not to make the call. He suspected that Ushsen intended to kill him regardless of what the Tok'ra had said. Once Egeria and Aranae were dead, he'd have no reason to leave Daniel alive.

Egeria suspected this as well, but she was in a difficult position. If she refused to make the call, Daniel would be dead for sure, and she would likely soon follow him. Ushsen might then find another opportunity to kill Aranae. If, on the other hand, she _did_ make the call, it would give them a little time to find a way to defeat the traitor. And perhaps there would be some way to get a message to Aranae that something was amiss.

"Very well," the former queen said, hoping that she wasn't making a terrible mistake. "I will make the call."


	23. Chapter 23

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Daniel, Egeria and Ushsen walked over to the phone, the Tok'ra's knife never straying from the archeologist's jugular.

"I have learned the number for the infirmary," Ushsen said, "so if you dial another one, I will know. Once you have connected the call, ask for Aranae. She will likely not wish to leave there because Nefer is still in surgery, so you must impress upon her the need to come here immediately. Say that it is a matter of urgency, but do not make up a story in an effort to pass on a message to her. Tell her that you will explain when she arrives. If she resists coming, assure her that she will not have to remain here for long. Tell her nothing more than that. If you speak one more word than is necessary, your human lover will die before your eyes."

Egeria nodded shortly and asked for the number. She dialed it, aware that Ushsen was watching her closely. As soon as she finished dialing, Ushsen leaned in close enough to hear the other end of the conversation.

When the call was answered, Egeria told the person who she was and asked to speak to Aranae. A couple of minutes passed before the Tok'ra queen came on the line.

"The nurse said that you wished to speak with me," Aranae said.

Egeria answered in a calm, level voice with no inflections. "Yes. You must come to your VIP room. It is a matter of urgency that we talk to you immediately."

"What is this about?"

"We will explain when you get here."

"But Nefer is still in surgery. I wish to remain here for word of him."

"We will not keep you for long. You will be back before the surgery is complete."

There was a long pause, then Aranae agreed to come, saying that she would be there in a few minutes.

Thanking her, Egeria hung up, then turned to Ushsen. "I have done as you asked. Now, take the blade away from Daniel's throat. You have no further need to threaten his life to achieve my cooperation."

The Tok'ra appeared to think about it for a moment. He then pulled the knife away and gave Daniel a shove that was hard enough to push the archeologist a pace forward. A hand going to his neck to stem the flow of blood, Daniel turned to face the traitor, who had stepped back to add more space between them. Now in his hand was a small device that the archeologist guessed was some kind of weapon. It was pointed straight at him. Searching Ushsen's eyes, Daniel saw nothing there except cold arrogance.

"Were you the one who hired the Ashrak that tried to kill Egeria?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Why are you doing this? Is it an attempt to gain power or are you working for a Goa'uld? I suppose that one would reward you pretty handsomely for being the one to kill both Egeria and the new Tok'ra queen."

Ushsen gave a short, nasty laugh. "You think that I care if some System Lord rewards me like some fawning, faithful servant? I serve no Goa'uld. I have my reasons for doing these things, and I see no need to explain them to a mere human or to a female who betrayed her own species."

Egeria glared at him. "You are the one who is the betrayer, Ushsen. I am ashamed that I spawned one such as you."

"And I am ashamed that one such as you is my mother. Better that I had been spawned by a queen who did not choose to deny her children their birthright and the power that comes with it."

Egeria was all set to retort, but Daniel's hand on her arm stopped her. She looked at him, and he shook his head ever so slightly. She realized that he was right to stop her. Angering Ushsen would not be wise.

The Tok'ra nodded at the dead body of the SF. "Drag him out of sight." His eyes pierced into Daniel's. "And do not be foolish enough to attempt to get his weapon."

Knowing he had no other choice, Daniel grabbed the airman under the arms and dragged him to a corner of the room, where anyone standing in the doorway would not see him. The archeologist was then told to use something to deal with the blood on his neck. He pulled out his handkerchief and pressed it against the wound.

They waited in silence, the tense minutes crawling by. It seemed to take a lot longer than expected, but, at last, a knock came on the door. Ushsen stepped forward, and Daniel felt something press against his ribs.

"Answer it and ask who it is, just as you did before," the Tok'ra ordered.

Daniel did so and received a reply from the other SF that Aranae was there. The Tok'ra traitor ordered Daniel to tell the SF to let Aranae in.

As the door began to open, Daniel braced himself, intending to do something to stop Ushsen from carrying out his plan. However, what came through the partly opened door was not the Tok'ra queen. The door quickly slammed shut, and the archeologist had about two seconds to recognize what had rolled into the room before it detonated, and his consciousness fled.

When Daniel awoke, he found himself lying on an infirmary bed, a bandage on his neck and Jack staring down at him.

"Ah, finally back to the land of the conscious and cognizant, I see," the grey-haired man said.

Daniel groaned at the headache pounding in his skull. "Yes, and thank you so much for tossing that shock grenade in there," he responded sarcastically.

"You're welcome."

"Is Egeria okay?"

Jack gestured toward the next bed over, upon which lay the former Tok'ra queen. "Still down for the count, as you can see, though I should imagine that she'll be waking soon as well."

"So, how did you know that we were in trouble?"

"I'll let Aranae tell you."

Just then, Egeria began to stir. As soon as she was fully awake, her eyes went to Daniel, and she asked if he was okay.

"I'm fine," he assured her.

"Well, you are now," Jack said, "but wait until Fraiser gets through with you. She is not a bit happy that you failed to inform anyone that you had two cracked ribs from the first murder attempt."

"What?" Egeria cried. She stared at Daniel. "You said only that you were bruised. Were you aware that you were injured more severely?"

Daniel squirmed under her sharp gaze. "I thought that a couple ribs _might_ be cracked, but I wasn't sure."

Seeing the look on Egeria's face, Jack smirked. "Perhaps Fraiser will have to take a ticket and wait her turn for a pound of your flesh."

"Daniel, you should have told me," the dark-haired woman said. "I would have insisted that you go to the infirmary."

"That's why I didn't say anything. There's no way I was going to leave you alone, Egeria. As soon as it was safe to do so, I'd have come to the infirmary."

Egeria frowned. "Though I appreciate your concern for me, I must insist that you not do such a thing again. If you are injured like that, you must obtain medical attention immediately."

"I've had cracked ribs before, Egeria. It's no big deal. Helping to protect you from a killer was a lot more important. Besides, all Janet would have done was take an X-ray, give me some pain pills, and tell me to take it easy."

Egeria could tell by the firm tone of Daniel's voice that she would have an argument on her hands if she continued to push this. Even so, she did not like the fact that he had ignored what could have been a serious injury in favor of remaining with her. This would not be the end of the matter, as far as she was concerned.

"Speaking of that killer," Daniel said, his gaze now on Jack, "I assume that you caught him."

"Oh, yes," the colonel replied. "He was caught by the grenade's blast, just as we'd planned. He's in the brig. Jacob and Teal'c are talking to him, though I doubt that they'll get much out of him."

"He was the one who hired the Ashrak."

"He was? Well, that'll be a load off everyone's mind. We won't have to worry about another one coming along."

"Not necessarily. If any of the Goa'uld know about Egeria and Aranae, they'll still be targets. At least now we have one of those cloaking devices, so Sam can use it to make that sensor."

Just then, three women came walking in. Sam and Janet came to a stop at the foot of Daniel's bed, whereas Aranae went to her mother's. By the look that the doctor subjected him to, Daniel guessed that she'd be chewing his ears off about his failure to tell anyone that he was injured in the first attack. Fortunately, she had apparently decided to hold off on that for the present time. Instead, she told everyone that Nefer had come through the surgery well and should be just fine.

"Did you take the SF that was killed to the sarcophagus?" Daniel asked her.

"Yes, but I'm afraid that he's probably the last person it will ever heal. He was only partially healed when it stopped working. Fortunately, it had already revived him, and he was healed enough that Jacob was able to finish the job with the hand-held healing device."

"It may be possible to repair the sarcophagus, but, sadly, we would likely be unable to get the parts that we would need," Egeria said.

Daniel couldn't help but think about how it could have given out in the process of healing Egeria when she was killed. Choosing not to dwell on that, he said, "So, how did you guys know that we needed help."

"That was thanks to Mother," Aranae answered. "I was puzzled by her strangely flat tone of voice, especially since she knew that I was terribly worried about Nefer and would not want to leave here until the surgery was over. It was not at all like her to be so emotionless. I was also puzzled about what could be so important that I had to immediately go to the VIP room and why she would not explain over the telephone. It bothered me, so I decided to call Samantha."

The astrophysicist took over the explanation. "When she told me about the call, I got suspicious and went to the monitoring station. Normally, the cameras in private rooms are turned off, so I had them turn on the one in that VIP room and saw what was going on. I contacted the colonel, and we came up with the idea of using a shock grenade."

Daniel gazed at Egeria in admiration. At the time, he hadn't really thought about the tone she used during the call, but, thinking back on it now, he realized that it had been a deliberate attempt to convey that something wasn't right. Because of Ushsen's precise instructions, she could not chance using words to alert her daughter, so she had used the only thing she could, counting on Aranae's intelligence and instincts to warn the queen that something was wrong.

Teal'c and Jacob entered the room and came over to the others. There was a frown on the face of Sam's father. His head bowed, Selmak taking control

"I thought I knew Ushsen," the Tok'ra symbiote said, "but the man in that cell is nothing like the man I have known for all these centuries. He used to be so committed to our goal of wiping out the Goa'uld, and, now, he is as much like a Goa'uld as any of the System Lords. We did not get anything useful from him, except that he apparently did this to achieve some power of his own. His ultimate plan was probably to destroy the Tok'ra. He must have recognized the need to kill Aranae before she could spawn a queen or had produced a significant number of Tok'ra, and killing Egeria would mean that, even if we could clone her symbiote body again and do as we did before, we would not have her to train the new queen."

"He also saw what I did as not just a betrayal of the Goa'uld, but also of my children for denying them the knowledge and power of the Goa'uld," Egeria said. She shook her head. "I do not understand, though, how it was that he hired the Ashrak."

Selmak's gaze sharpened. "He hired the Askrak?"

"That's what he said," Daniel replied.

"But I thought that Ashraks generally only work for System Lords," Sam said.

"Maybe work's not so easy to come by lately for those guys, so they're getting less picky," Jack suggested.

"Well, he must have been really hard up for work if he would accept a contract from a Goa'uld who was not only not a System Lord but was also an unknown entity," Daniel responded, "that is unless Ushsen has gone under cover as a Goa'uld in the past and made a bit of a name for himself."

Selmak shook his head. "Ushsen has never had that kind of assignment."

"What I really don't understand is why he waited so long to kill Aranae. He was one of the Tok'ra there at the secondary base. He could have killed her weeks ago."

"Yes, but then we would have subjected every Tok'ra there to a Zatarc test. He would have had no choice but to take the test or escape using the cloaking device. It is clear that he wanted to keep his identity unknown for as long as possible, probably so that he could remain among the Tok'ra."

Daniel frowned. "So then why did he come out in the open this time? I know that a lot of people were out looking for him with TERs, but there are other things he could have done besides boldly coming to the VIP room and revealing his hand like he did. For a guy who'd gone to so much trouble to hide the fact that he was behind it all, that wasn't very smart."

"He must have had a good reason for doing it," Sam guessed.

"I wish to speak with him."

Aranae's statement surprised most of the people there. The look on her face spoke of her anger. That anger was certainly understandable. Every Tok'ra who went to the secondary base with her had sworn an oath to protect her with their lives. Ushsen had not only broken that oath, he had tried to kill her himself and had almost taken the life of the man she loved, as well as hired the man who had sought to kill her mother, the beloved progenitor of the Tok'ra race.

"I think it's time that we _all_ spoke to him," Jack said. "I've got a bone to pick with him over that Ashrak he hired."

When Daniel got out of the bed, his injured side complained loudly. Though he hid it as well as he could, judging by the severe frown on Janet's face, he knew that she had seen his discomfort. As he passed her, she grabbed his arm.

"You are not off the hook about those ribs of yours, mister," she warned in a low tone.

He let out a sigh. "I didn't think that I was. You can chew me out later. And, yes, I'll take it easy."

As the group entered the brig, the man in the cell glared at everyone, his eyes finally coming to rest on the two women he had sought to kill. Aranae walked all the way up to the bars, her eyes full of anger and loathing.

"You have betrayed everything for which you stood," she spat, "all the things you were taught from birth. Other Tok'ra in the past have betrayed us, but I find your betrayal the most offensive of all. My heart aches for your host, who most surely is horrified by what you have done."

Ushsen stared at her condescendingly. "My host is of no consequence. Unlike the rest of the Tok'ra, I realized long ago that to allow my host to have any say in what I did or any control of this body was an insult. Hosts are merely vessels for us to use as we please. They have no value other than that."

Egeria stepped forward. "You are wrong, Ushsen. Because the Tok'ra work as one with their hosts, they benefit in ways that you clearly do not see nor are capable of comprehending. The day that I began conversing with my host and listening to her thoughts and advice was the day that my existence expanded to so much more than it was before then. Having her counsel, hearing her point of view, combining her wisdom and knowledge with mine were things beyond measure. She made me more than I was alone, and for that I will always be grateful to her."

Egeria felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Daniel smiling at her. She returned the smile and covered his hand with hers. When she turned back to Ushsen, she saw that he was looking at her and Daniel with an expression of disgust.

"Your words are worthless," he said to the former queen, "you who chose to become human because of love for a weak Tau'ri. I can understand why you chose him to be the one to give you the code. He is handsome enough. But to fall in love with him?" The man snorted.

Startled, Daniel stared at him sharply. "How do you know that it was my DNA she used? None of the Tok'ra are supposed to know except Jacob and Aranae."

An expression of consternation briefly flitted across Ushsen's face. "I surmised it for myself," he claimed.

"Ya know, up until now, you've done a bang up job of telling bald-faced lies," Jack said, "but that one wasn't quite so convincing."

Selmak was now frowning. "There is one other person who may have learned about Daniel's DNA being used for the first batches of Tok'ra larvae. Aranae and I were talking about it one day, and I thought that I saw someone off in a side tunnel, but when I looked again, I did not see anyone there. I had, however, recognized the man, and, later that day, I talked to him, but he gave no indication that he had heard any part of the earlier conversation."

Jack looked at him. "It wasn't this guy?"

"No, it wasn't."

"So, are you saying that there's another traitor among the Tok'ra?"

As Daniel stared narrowly at the man in the cell, all the pieces suddenly fell into place in his head, things that had puzzled him before becoming crystal clear.

"Was he searched for other devices besides the cloaking device?" he asked.

"You bet he was," Jack replied. "We didn't want any nasty little surprises."

Sam studied her teammate and fellow scientist. "What are you thinking, Daniel?"

"That there is one possibility that would clear up some things that don't make sense. We know that Ashraks generally only work for System Lords, yet he appears to have managed to hire one even though he would have been posing as an unknown Goa'uld. He went to a lot of effort to hide the fact that he was behind the murder attempts, yet he suddenly threw that all away and came at Aranae and Egeria openly. He sacrificed his anonymity even though it would make it all but impossible to carry out any future plans against the Tok'ra since he could no longer spy on them and sabotage their efforts from within."

"And what is this possibility, may I ask?" Jack questioned.

"A mimic device."

Sam's eyes lit with excitement and understanding. "Of course! If he had a mimic device, he could pose as anyone he had an opportunity to scan, as long as he wasn't asked any questions that only the real person could answer. Without the link to the mind of the person he was posing as, he couldn't tap into that person's knowledge and memories."

Daniel had not taken his eyes off the man in the cell. When he mentioned a mimic device, he'd seen a reaction. It was very slight, but it had been there.

"You aren't really Ushsen, are you," he said. "I'd guess that the real Ushsen is dead. So, which System Lord did you pose as when you hired the Ashrak?"

It was Jacob who answered. "My guess would be Kali."

"Why do you believe it was her?" Teal'c asked.

"Because I know who this really is." Sam's father glared at the prisoner. "You might as well give it up. We've figured it out."

It was obvious that the man in the cell was not at all happy. He stood unmoving for several seconds, then opened the flap of his top. The others noticed a lump on the inner curve of his right pectoral. He pressed the lump, and the image of the person before them changed to reveal the true visage of the traitor.

Egeria gasped in horror. "Bres En!"

The High Council member stared back at them haughtily, saying nothing.

"Subcutaneous implant," Sam said. "No wonder nobody found it when he was searched. He must have a second device hidden somewhere that does the actual scans."

Aranae was as horrified as Egeria. "Three years ago, Bres En went undercover inside Kali's palace for several months. He'd have had many opportunities to scan her so that he could later impersonate her."

Jack ran his gaze over the stocky man. "He impersonated a girl?"

"With a mimic device, I impersonated Daniel, sir," Sam reminded him. "Or, rather, I impersonated the alien who was pretending to be Daniel. With a mimic device it doesn't matter what the person you scan looks like. It will project a perfect image of that person, completely masking your real appearance."

Jacob's eyes gave Bres En a hard look. "How many other people have you impersonated over these years? Who else did you use without their knowledge to get what you wanted?"

The traitor did not reply, remaining stonily silent.

"I want that thing cut out of him," Jack said. "And I want him stuck in a CT scanner or MRI or whatever will show if there's something else he has hidden inside his body."

As the two armed men who stood guard outside the brig were told to come in, Sam made a call to the infirmary and told Janet what was going on so that she could make arrangements for the scan and the surgery to remove the mimic device and any other foreign objects that the scan might reveal.

The scan didn't show any other devices inside Bres En's body, and the minor surgery to remove the mimic device was quickly performed. The traitorous High Council member was then returned to the brig.

"You guys seem to have a real problem with council members who decide to switch sides," Jack remarked a while later as they all gathered in Sam's lab. "Not that all our politicians are shining examples of honesty and integrity."

"Being a member of the High Council makes his betrayal all the more heinous," Egeria responded.

"I wonder how long ago he turned," Sam said.

"Judging by some of the things he said, I'm guessing it was quite a few years ago," Daniel answered.

"So, why didn't he do something before now?" Jack asked. "Why hasn't he been doing stuff to sabotage the Tok'ra?"

"We really can't be sure what he may have done," Jacob replied. "There have been many important missions over the years that failed. Bres En may have had a hand in some of those failures. For all we know, he may even have been the one who revealed the location of the base on Revanna to Anubis. We never did learn how Anubis discovered it."

"I don't think it was him," Daniel said. "Bres En made it quite clear that he wasn't doing these things for any Goa'uld. He didn't want a position of subservience to some System Lord. He wanted more than that. Maybe his ultimate goal was to be a System Lord himself."

"But how could he hope to achieve that without working his way up through the ranks?" Aranae questioned. "Unless he intended to kill a present System Lord and somehow take over their territories, something that would be quite hard to achieve."

"Perhaps he intended to let others open the way for his takeover," Egeria murmured.

Daniel was about to ask what she meant when he suddenly understood. "You could be right about that."

"Right about what?" Jack asked.

Daniel turned to him. "What if, all this time, he'd been hoping that the Tok'ra would succeed in their goal? I mean, think about it. If the Tok'ra actually managed to wipe out the Goa'uld, it would leave the way open for someone to step right in and take over everything. Of course, at that point, he'd have had to get rid of the Tok'ra to keep them from interfering."

"But then Egeria was brought back," Sam said, "and a new queen was created, one who could spawn other queens. Eventually, the Tok'ra would grow too numerous and powerful for Bres En to kill."

Daniel nodded. "So, he had to get rid of them. They were a danger to his plans."

Aranae's head shook slightly. "It chills me to think of how many times I sat at the council table with him as he secretly plotted against us. I never really liked him very much, but I never doubted his trustworthiness."

Sam's gaze went to her father. "What did the other council members say when you told them?"

Jacob frowned upon recalling the conversation he had through the Stargate with Ka'resh and Delek. "They were shocked, of course. It isn't an easy thing to accept. We do know one thing. The Ushsen who came through from the secondary site with Aranae was the real one. Bres En didn't start impersonating him until later."

"He probably scanned Ushsen at the time that he killed him and the other bodyguards here on the base. Impersonating Ushsen was likely a backup plan in case his first attack failed."

"So, what happens now?" Jack asked.

"We'll attempt to question him further," Jacob replied, "then the symbiote will be removed from the host."

"How can you be sure that his host wasn't a willing participant?"

"We'll perform a Zatarc test on him after the extraction," Jacob replied.

"Based upon Bres En's attitude about his host, I seriously doubt that the guy was going along with this willingly," Daniel remarked.

An hour later, four grim-faced Tok'ra came through the gate. Among them were Ka'resh and Celdeth. They were accompanied to the brig by SG-1, Jacob, Egeria and Aranae. As they stared at the man behind the bars, Celdeth appeared to be especially upset.

Aranae leaned toward Daniel and Egeria and said in a low voice, "I feel terribly sorry for her. Many decades ago, she and Bres En were lovers. She was the one who broke off the relationship, but I think that she still cared for him. At the time, she said that she ended the relationship because he'd changed from the man she had come to love. I can only wonder now if the reason for the change was that he had begun to turn from the ways of the Tok'ra."

"So, now you come to kill me," Bres En stated emotionlessly. His gaze came to rest on the new arrivals. "You think that you are better than the Goa'uld, yet you are nothing more than fools on a pathetic quest. And even if you do succeed in overthrowing them, you will still be fools because you will refuse to take the power that would be yours for the taking. You could have it all, the whole galaxy, but, instead, you will sit back and grow fat and lazy as far inferior species who should be doing your bidding are allowed to multiply like rabbits and rule themselves."

Egeria stepped forward. "You are right in one thing you said, Bres En. When the day comes that the Goa'uld fall, we will not lower ourselves to their level and dominate species that we have no right to rule. The greatest failings of the Goa'uld are their conceit and their blind lust for power. If they had not fallen victim to those things, they could have become truly great, the kind of greatness that they and one such as you are incapable of understanding. I see a wonderful future for my children, grandchildren and all the generations that will follow, a future that will bring rich rewards, ones that do not need to be taken by force. They will find happiness and contentment that the Goa'uld could never achieve."

Bres En snorted derisively. "The contentment of placid sheep." He lifted his chin arrogantly. "I for one will not die as a sheep. You come here to free my host. I deny you that victory."

Suddenly, the man before them curled forward, clutching his chest and gasping for air as he fell to his knees.

"He is killing his host!" Ka'resh cried. "We must get in there!"

As Sam called the infirmary for a medical team, the cell door was unlocked, and three of the Tok'ra ran into the cell. Bres En's host was now on the floor, convulsing, his face twisted in agony. Then he abruptly went limp. Celdeth felt for a pulse.

"His heart has stopped. We are too late," she announced in a sad voice.

"Are you sure this isn't some kind of trick?" Jack asked. "Maybe he's hoping one of us humans will go in there so that he can, you know, body hop."

Jacob, who was kneeling beside the lifeless man, shook his head. "I should have seen this coming," he said with Selmak's voice. "Bres En knew that he was going to die and that, in a situation like this, saving the host would be very important to us. He did this to spite us."

Janet and a medical team arrived moments later and began to work on Bres En's host, but they were told that it was a lost cause.

"He will have made sure that we could not revive the host," Ka'resh said with a regretful sigh.

The lifeless man was rushed to the infirmary, but, in the end, Janet had no choice but to pronounce him dead. It was a very sober group that gathered around the body of the innocent man who'd found himself enslaved by someone he had believed would be his trusted partner and friend for life. Daniel had an arm around Egeria, whose eyes were filled with tears. He understood how much she was hurting.

"We will remove the symbiote from his body, and he will be buried with honor," Ka'resh stated.

"What was his name?" Teal'c asked.

"Wallec."

"I will perform the Jaffa ceremony for one of honor who has fallen in death."

Ka'resh inclined her head in gratitude. "Thank you, Teal'c. Wallec would be greatly honored by such a thing."

A while later, SG-1, Egeria and Jacob were in the commissary, though none of them were hungry.

"This really stinks," Jack remarked. "I hate it when a snake wins."

"Indeed," Teal'c agreed. "We can only take solace in the fact that Bres En did not succeed in his plan to kill Egeria and Aranae and that he will no longer be a threat to us or the Tok'ra."

"And Wallec died knowing that Bres En had been stopped," Jacob said. He let out a soft sigh, his gaze dropping to the tabletop.

Sam studied his face. "What's wrong, Dad?"

"Selmak was the one who convinced Wallec to be a host and paired him with Bres En. That was only thirty years ago, almost certainly after Bres En had turned traitor. He's feeling pretty guilty right now."

"He had no way of knowing what was going on."

Jacob's head dipped further. When it lifted, Selmak was in control. "But I should have suspected something. It is traditional that the old host of a Tok'ra speak to the one who is going to replace him, just as Saroosh spoke with Jacob, but that did not happen with Wallec and Injar, Bres En's previous host. Bres En claimed that Injar was too weak to talk, but there was something off in the way that Bres En was acting. All Tok'ra feel some measure of grief at the passing of their host, yet I saw no grief in Bres En nor even the smallest hint of sorrow. In fact, he seemed to be impatient to get on with the transference into the new host. I should have realized then that all was not right. Now that I think back, I had not heard Injar speak for himself for many years prior to his death, which, in itself, should have been a warning sign, for Injar was quite stubborn and liked to personally express his opinions. And from the moment that the blending of Bres En and Wallec took place, I never witnessed Wallec in control, except when Egeria asked to meet him the day she came to the Tok'ra base. I now have my doubts that it was even Wallec who spoke to her. Bres En could have simply pretended to hand over control."

"We all have twenty/twenty hindsight, Selmak," Daniel said. "And the last thing you would have wanted to suspect was that Bres En was a traitor."

"We can blind ourselves to many things that we do not wish to see," Teal'c stated.

"Been guilty of that myself a few times," Jack said.

Egeria laid her hand over Selmak's. "Do not feel guilt over this. My eyes were not blinded by centuries of knowing Bres En as an ally and fellow Tok'ra, yet I failed to see anything suspicious in his manner even though I talked to him several times while I was at the Tok'ra base."

"Then Bres En wasn't one of the Tok'ra who was with you on Estrania?" Sam asked.

"No, he was among the ones born later, after I went on the run. I never had the opportunity to truly come to know him. Perhaps if I had, I would have detected something that would have warned me of future trouble. Then again, it may be that there would have been nothing to detect. Bres En may have truly been Tok'ra in the beginning."

"The fact is that we'll never know exactly what made him change," Sam said.

That night as they lay in bed, Daniel held Egeria close, running a comforting hand up and down her arm.

"I'm sorry it all turned out this way," he said. "I can imagine how upset and betrayed you must feel."

"I am not the first mother betrayed by her own child, and I will not be the last. Bres En fell victim to the same curse as the Goa'uld, the desire for power, and, just as with many of them, it ultimately led to his downfall."

"Yeah, it's happened here on Earth a lot, too. We have a saying: power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely." He paused. "I have personal experience with that."

Hearing an odd tone in his voice, Egeria lifted her head and looked at him. He failed to meet her eyes. "Of what do you speak?"

The archeologist shook his head. "It's nothing. It's getting late. We should get some sleep." He turned his face away and closed his eyes.

Egeria stared at him for a long moment, frowning. There was a story here that Daniel did not want to share with her. Instead of feeling hurt by that, she was concerned. Since they became lovers, Daniel had opened himself many times to her, revealing deeply personal things. The fact that he was refusing to speak about something could only mean one thing: that he was ashamed by this thing about which he was keeping silent.

As Egeria laid her head back down, she vowed to get to the bottom of this mystery.


	24. Chapter 24

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Early the next morning, Sam got busy on the sensor that would be set to detect the unique energy signature of a personal cloaking device, everyone having agreed that they needed to follow through on their plan to have a TER permanently set up at the second checkpoint. The Tok'ra also wanted one for both the main base and the one that was Aranae's home.

"So, what are the odds that there's a Goa'uld who knows about Egeria and Aranae?" Jack asked over breakfast.

"Well, Dad said that the Tok'ra haven't heard one peep from the Goa'uld about them," Sam replied, having taken a break from her work to share breakfast with her teammates and Egeria, "which would seem to indicate that they're all still in the dark, although we can't be sure of that, especially in regards to Anubis. I don't think that the Tok'ra have any spies in his ranks."

"Unfortunately, if there's any Goa'uld who _does_ know, it would be him," Daniel said.

"Yeah, he does have an annoying habit of finding out things that we don't want him to," Jack responded.

Sam looked at her watch, then stood. "I need to get back to work on that sensor." She left the table with her tray, tossing the garbage in the trash. As she headed out the door, she passed her father, who was on the way in. They spoke for a moment, then she left, and Jacob came over to SG-1's table, taking a seat beside Egeria.

"How's Nefer doing?" Daniel asked, knowing that Jacob had intended to visit the man.

"He's doing well. He's been released from the infirmary and is with Aranae. There are definite advantages to being a Tok'ra. If he was human, he'd be healing from that wound for months."

"If he was human, he'd probably be dead."

"True. I talked to Aranae about going back to the base. Though she's disappointed that she isn't going to get to stay here longer, she agreed that, as soon as we have a working sensor, it would be best for her to return to the base."

"Get back to making those babies, huh?" Jack said.

"Well, there is that, but the Tok'ra are also understandably nervous about her safety. They want to get her back in the fold as soon as possible."

"Hey, it wasn't our security that Bres En slipped through. It's not our fault that you didn't notice that he was missing."

"He wasn't missing, Jack. Bres En was supposed to be off-world on a minor mission."

"Is it common for a councillor to go on unimportant missions?"

"Not really, but it's not unheard-of. Bres En volunteered. We didn't see anything strange in that. Of course, now, we realize that he was using it as a way to explain his absence."

Everyone went off their separate ways fifteen minutes later, Daniel returning to his office. He had just finished typing his report on the previous day's events when Egeria came in. She got a chair and sat beside his desk. Studying her expression, the archeologist silently sighed.

"I suppose you're going to get on my case again about my ribs," he said. "I knew you wouldn't leave it alone. I'm still waiting for Janet to ball me out."

"No, this is not about that, although I am still not pleased with you for hiding the truth of your injury. This is about what you said last night."

Daniel's forehead furrowed in puzzlement. "Last night?"

"I speak of your statement about having personal experience with the corrupting influence of power."

Daniel visibly tensed. "I really don't want to talk about it, Egeria. It's just something that happened a long time ago. It's in the past."

Egeria searched his eyes. "I do not think that it is, Daniel, at least not for you. Whatever this thing is, it still weighs heavily upon you. Please do not fear to tell me what it is. Nothing you could say would lessen my opinion of you as the strong, kind, wonderful person I know you to be."

Daniel abruptly rose to his feet and moved away a short distance. "I'm not all that strong, Egeria, not as strong as you think I am."

Now upset, Egeria asked, "Why do you say that?"

"Because, when put in the same position as you, I was no stronger than any of the Goa'uld you despise." He turned back around. "I can't talk about this." He grabbed the report off his desk. "I need to get this to Hammond. I'll see you later."

With a deep frown, Egeria watched him walk away. What did he mean by his statement? She needed to know, but whom could she ask? Perhaps Samantha would know the answer.

Egeria went to Sam's lab, where she found the major hunched over a device that she assumed was the sensor. Sam smiled upon seeing the black-haired woman.

"Hi," she greeted with a smile. "What brings you here?"

"I was speaking with Daniel, and he said something that I did not understand. I was hoping that you could explain."

"Um, okay. I'll see if I can help."

Egeria repeated what Daniel had told her.

"Oh," Sam said, her gaze falling away from Egeria's for a moment.

"You know to what he was referring?"

"Yeah. It has to do with Apophis and his queen, Amaunet."

"The Goa'uld who possessed Daniel's wife."

"Yes. They produced a human child together or I should say that their hosts did."

"That is forbidden, a violation of one of the highest laws of the Goa'uld."

"Yes, because of what the child would be, a Harcesis, someone who has all of the knowledge of the Goa'uld. Apophis' plan was to make the kid his host once it matured. To make a long story short, Daniel and Teal'c managed to prevent Apophis from getting the baby after he was born. Later, he was taken by an Ancient named Oma Desala, and she blocked all of the Goa'uld knowledge from his mind. A few months after Daniel returned from his trip back in time, we encountered the boy again, who'd been named Shifu. He was already around eleven years old because Apophis had artificially accelerated his growth rate with things we call nanocites. Oma stopped the process before it could go all the way. We all wanted the knowledge that was in Shifu's head because we thought it would help us defeat the Goa'uld. He tried to tell us that it was too dangerous, but we weren't listening. To teach us what we were failing to see, to teach _Daniel_, he put Daniel in a kind of dream. In the dream, Daniel was given all the knowledge and memories of the Goa'uld. It, uh . . . took him over. He became something completely contrary to the kind of man he is, evil, heartless and utterly lacking in conscience. For all intents and purposes, he became a Goa'uld in that dream. He just didn't have a symbiote inside him."

Egeria was horrified. What happened in that dream was far worse than Daniel being taken as a host by a Goa'uld, for it was Daniel himself who became evil.

"After Daniel woke up from the dream, he understood what Shifu had been trying to tell us, that the Goa'uld knowledge was too dangerous because of the evil that came hand in hand with it. It could never be used for good, because, in the end, it would destroy us." Sam sighed. "The thing is that the dream also did a real number on Daniel's self-image, which was never all that glowing in the first place. In his eyes, it proved that he wasn't a very strong person. He thought that he should have been able to do a better job of fighting the corrupting influence of the memories. I'm afraid that knowing that _you_ managed to do it probably didn't help."

Egeria's heart ached for Daniel, that he should see himself as weak because of this, something that was so very untrue.

"I must speak with him about this. I must tell him that he is wrong."

"That would be great if you could, Egeria. I had thought that, after all this time, Daniel had gotten past that belief, but, apparently, he never did."

Egeria went straight back to Daniel's office and waited for him. When he walked in the door and saw her, he paused. In the silence that followed, Egeria rose to her feet.

"Samantha has told me about the dream you were given by the Harcesis child," she said.

Daniel's gaze instantly dropped to the floor. "I really wish she hadn't done that. I didn't want you to know."

"Why? Because you see it as a failure?"

Daniel lifted his head. "How could I not see it that way, Egeria? I've gone through a lot of things in my life, and I've always managed to stay true to who I am, to do what I thought was right. And yet I failed the greatest test of my character, not just a little but completely. I became something utterly despicable, something that still makes me sick to my stomach to think about. I know that evil didn't come from inside me; I recognize that, but that's not the point. The point is that I didn't fight it. I didn't put up even a token struggle when it started taking me over. I became a Goa'uld, and I . . . and I liked it. I liked the power, the knowledge. It made me feel so strong, so superior. I think about how you managed to overcome all that evil, yet I wasn't able to do the same, and it makes me feel so—"

Daniel's voice broke off. He quickly crossed the room to one of the shelving units, head bowed and hands gripping the edge of a shelf.

Egeria came around to stand beside him. "Daniel, do you understand what a Harcesis truly is? Do you know why it is so forbidden for one to be created that some Goa'uld have been killed for daring to do so? You already know that no Goa'uld has all the knowledge that has been gathered throughout the many millennia of our race's existence. They have only what is passed on to them through the queen from whence they came, and the knowledge that each queen possesses is not complete. But when two Goa'uld spawned by different queens do as Apophis and Amaunet did, their combined knowledge is passed through to the human child."

"So, the child gets the knowledge of two lineages."

Egeria shook her head. "No, it is far more than that. A Harcesis is born with all of the knowledge of the Goa'uld in its entirety, Daniel, everything we have ever learned, ever known. That is why Apophis wanted that child, because he knew that, in such a host, he would have knowledge far beyond any other Goa'uld. He would have had the power to make himself the ultimate ruler of the galaxy."

Daniel thought about what she was saying. "I did wonder why it was that I had knowledge of weapons and other technology that the Goa'uld obviously didn't have. I figured that it had something to do with the combination of the knowledge of the two Goa'uld."

Egeria met his eyes. "Daniel, if it had been I who was given that dream, that knowledge, I would have had no greater ability to fight the evil than you. What you were given was so much more than the Goa'uld knowledge and memories I possess. There would have been no hope of you being able to withstand it, no hope of _anyone_ being able to do so. It would have been impossible." She cupped his cheek. "You are not weak, my Daniel. You are so very strong. Please do not doubt that. I beg of you."

Daniel searched her eyes. If this was true, then he really would have had no ability to fight the corrupting influence of all that knowledge, even if he had tried. Shifu had made it clear that the evil of that knowledge was too strong to deny, even by an ascended being, as Shifu was. If not even one of the Ascended could overcome it, how could he have done so?

After three years, Daniel finally let go of the shame he'd felt over what he had perceived as a failure of strength and character. He gathered Egeria into his arms and pulled her close.

"Thank you," he murmured.

Egeria wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly. She felt him wince in pain and remembered his damaged ribs. She loosened her hold on him and looked up into his face.

"Now that we have that settled, I intend to scold you again about hiding your injury."

Daniel let out a groan. "Egeria, can't we just let that slide? I told you why I did it. I know you're not happy about it, but, in a similar situation, I'd do the same thing. Your safety is always going to be more important to me. Get as mad as you want to about it, but that isn't going to change. If I'd had reason to think that my injury was life-threatening, I'd have said something, but it wasn't, so I didn't."

Egeria drew away from him. "And what if you had underestimated the seriousness, Daniel? What if there had been internal damage? If our situation had been reversed, would you not now be displeased with me?"

Daniel opened his mouth, then closed it. He had to admit that she had a point. If she'd done what he did, he would be pretty upset about it.

He heaved a sigh. "Okay, you're right. If you'd done what I did, I'd be pretty ticked off."

"Then you will not do it again?"

"I won't do it again. I promise."

"Good. Then there is no further need to discuss it." Egeria gave him a quick kiss.

"Now, I just have to make the same promise to Janet and hope that's enough for her."

Daniel got his chance to make that promise less than an hour later when he was called to the infirmary. Before Janet even had a chance to open her mouth, he apologized and swore that he would never hide an injury again. Never having received such a promise from the stubborn archeologist before, the doctor stared at him for a moment, then smiled ever so slightly.

"Got scolded out by Egeria?" she asked in amusement.

"Oh, yes."

"Good. I hope you realize that what you did was foolhardy, Daniel. Where Bres En landed that blow could have resulted in internal hemorrhaging. And you were fortunate that the ribs were only cracked, not broken. I don't think you've forgotten what happened the last time that you ignored a medical problem."

Daniel grimaced slightly. She was referring to his appendicitis. When his stomach first started to hurt, he'd passed it off as an upset stomach caused by the emotional fallout of the events with his grandfather. It wasn't until the pain was making him double over that he'd finally realized it was a whole lot more than that. He was at home at the time, and a five-car pile-up delayed the ambulance in getting to him. By the time he was rushed into surgery, his appendix had burst, and peritonitis had set in. Janet told him several times that he was lucky to be alive. He should have learned his lesson then, but he didn't. But things were different now that he had Egeria. For her sake, he had to be more responsible with his own health and well-being.

Janet began examining him, gently probing his side and asking pointed questions on how much pain he was feeling and if he'd noticed any other symptoms. Daniel answered with complete honesty.

"So, how are things going with you and Egeria," she asked after a while as she studied the extensive bruising marring his skin.

"I assume you mean personally. It's going great. I didn't realize until now how much I was missing having someone in my life like that."

Janet met his eyes. "I don't think I have to tell you that I couldn't be happier for you. I told Cassie about the two of you, although I decided to let you be the one to tell her who Egeria really is and the story of how you met and were reunited. She's delighted that you have a girlfriend and can't wait to meet Egeria."

Declaring him healthy other than the injured ribs, the doctor let Daniel leave, extracting a promise from him that if he showed any other symptoms, he was to get his butt back there immediately.

On the way back to his office, Daniel decided to stop by Sam's lab to see how she was progressing.

"How's it going?" he asked as he entered the room.

"Pretty well. Fortunately, the energy signature of the cloaking device is quite unique, so it's just a matter of tuning one of our present scanners to specifically detect it and incorporating an alarm and automatic triggering device that will turn on the TER."

Daniel's gaze went over to one of the worktables. Underneath a cloth he could make out the outline of the Ancient Repository of Knowledge.

Sam noticed the direction of his gaze. "A couple of the scientists were studying it this morning. They didn't learn much, I'm afraid, although I really didn't expect it to be easy." She returned her gaze to Daniel. "Area 51 wants to study it."

"No surprise there."

"No. Thankfully, the fact that you and Colonel O'Neill are the only two people we know of who can control Ancient technology has convinced the higher-ups that keeping it here would be the smartest thing to do." Sam paused for a few seconds. "You should probably know that there's a doctor who's very interested in what makes you and the colonel different. He's a medical doctor but also a brilliant geneticist. His name is Beckett. He wants to study your DNA."

Daniel made a face. "Jack's going to be so thrilled to hear that."

He walked up to the repository and pulled the cloth back partway, being careful to keep the "business end" covered. He ran his fingers over the cool metal, feeling the lure of all the knowledge contained within the device. For someone like him, having this here and knowing that to interface with it and gain all it held would be fatal was almost agony. All his life had been spent in the pursuit of knowledge, and right here before him was something that held more knowledge than he could gain in a thousand lifetimes as a human, but, unless they could discover a way to safely download it, it would remain forever out of their reach.

Sam watched him, seeing the play of emotions over his face. She understood how he must be feeling. She had to admit that she, too, had spent a lot of time thinking about what the repository held, knowledge of science and the universe. To have that knowledge, to know what the Ancients knew, would be beyond the dreams of any human scientist. For Daniel, though, there was also the fact that, for a whole year, he had possessed that very knowledge, but had it all taken from him. If she was in his shoes, the thought of getting it back would be extremely tempting.

The phone rang, and Sam went to answer it. It was the general's aide, who told her that Hammond wanted to see her and her teammates in the briefing room. She told the aide that Daniel was with her, and they'd be right there.

Ten minutes later, the four members of SG-1 were sitting at the conference table. The general came in and took a seat.

"I have been on the phone with the president," he said. "He and several others are expressing serious misgivings about the security of the lab on Egerania, especially in light of the events with the Ashrak and Bres En. They are concerned that the likelihood of the Goa'uld learning about the lab and the weapon has increased substantially."

"But Bres En didn't know about the lab or its contents," Daniel responded, "and neither did the Ashrak."

"Well, that is until the second before that drone blew him up," Jack corrected.

"That may be so," Hammond said, "but we have orders to remove the control chair and drones ASAP."

"And the lab?" Daniel asked.

"That's a stickier subject. Everyone wants to retrieve as much of the information as possible, but the threat of it falling into enemy hands is too great. From a military standpoint, since there is no useful information of defensive or offensive technology other than the weapon system installed there, a case has been made that it would be best to destroy the lab now and end the threat. Yet we can't ignore the scientific and possible commercial applications for what might still be in those computers."

"Yes, we mustn't forget about all the money that can be made," Jack responded a bit sarcastically. "The bigwigs have been whining for years about all the dough that's being tossed into the program with little return."

"As true as that may be, Colonel, this time, the military point of view has won out."

"They want us to destroy the lab right away," Daniel said. Though he understood the decision, the thought of all the knowledge that they would be sacrificing was more than a little upsetting.

"I'm sorry, Doctor Jackson. I can understand how you must feel."

"If there's nothing in the computers that the Goa'uld could use as weapons, what's the big problem?" Jack asked. "What's the brass worried about?"

"They are worried that the Goa'uld will be able to adapt the technology that is explained in the computers and ultimately make devices that will strengthen them. We already know that the Goa'uld take technology they acquire and change it to suit their purposes. We do not want them to get anything that is in those computers."

"And it isn't just that," Daniel said. "If a Goa'uld goes there, the people on Egerania will be the ones who suffer the most. You know that they won't be left alone."

Everyone there knew that he was right. Regardless of what Goa'uld came, the people of Egerania would either be wiped out or enslaved. The danger to them would be even greater if it was discovered that they were descended from Egeria's human subjects.

Hammond broke the silence. "If Major Carter can complete work on the sensor for the warning system today, you are to return to Egerania tomorrow with a team of scientists and technicians to remove the weapon system and power source. You are then to set charges that will ensure complete destruction of the lab and all its contents."

"In that case, sir, I would like permission to leave right away for the lab with some scientists to resume downloading as much as we can from the computers," Daniel responded.

General Hammond glanced at the clock. "By the time you got there, it would be late in the afternoon. You wouldn't have much time."

"We would if we worked all night. In that time, we could save a lot, still only a small fraction of what's in there, but at least it would be more than we have now."

Hammond thought about it for a moment. "Very well, Doctor Jackson. You have my permission to take a science team to the lab. Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c will accompany you for the sake of safety."

"Thank you, sir."

After leaving the briefing room, Daniel went to Egeria's lab and told her what was happening. She could clearly see how upset he was.

"I am sorry, Daniel," she said. "I understand how difficult this must be for you."

"I keep thinking about all the things we might be sacrificing, possible cures for diseases, knowledge of races and civilizations we've never met, stuff that could change the things we think we know about the universe, stuff about the Ancients themselves. Before the Ashrak attack, we were scrambling to get all we could, picking and choosing what we thought was most important, but how can we really know what would prove to be most important at some time in the future?"

"Yet you knew even then that, eventually, the lab would have to be destroyed."

"Yeah, but we all thought that we'd have several days. Now, we have just one more night. I wish we'd contacted the Asgard and taken the chance that they'd have let us keep the knowledge. With their technology, they could have downloaded everything in those computers." Daniel let out a sigh.

Egeria gave him a gentle hug, wishing that there was something she could say or do that would make him feel better.

"I will miss you tonight," she said.

"I'll miss you, too." Daniel gave her a kiss. "I need to get ready. We'll be leaving in less than an hour."

Egeria thought of something. "What is Selmak going to be told? He will be aware of your departure."

"Crap. I didn't think of that. He and Jacob are going to be really curious about where we're going in such a hurry. If Jacob asks Sam, she's not going to want to lie to him."

"I know that you did not want to tell the Tok'ra for fear that a spy in their midst would inform the Goa'uld, which turned out to be a wise precaution. If Bres En had learned of that lab and the weapon, he would have done all he could to gain possession of it. However, now that the lab is to be destroyed, perhaps it will not matter if Selmak is told. I believe that he will agree to keep the knowledge to himself until the lab has been destroyed and the weapon is here on Earth."

"You do have a point. Sooner or later, the Tok'ra will have be told anyway. I'll go talk to the general and see what he says."

In the general's office, Daniel approached Hammond about telling Jacob about the lab, recounting what he and Egeria discussed.

"I'm afraid that telling Jacob at this point is not a decision I can make without approval, Doctor Jackson," the commander of the SGC responded. "I'll make sure that he is kept busy until after you leave, and if he has any questions about where you went, I will field them."

Nodding, Daniel left the office and went to get ready for the mission. He didn't envy Sam, who would no doubt be the first person Jacob questioned.

When the three male members of SG-1 and the science team left for Egerania, they did it without General Hammond watching their departure from the control room. Instead, the general had invited Jacob to join him in the commissary for a cup of coffee and some conversation. It was over an hour later that Sam's father found out that his daughter's three teammates had left on a mission. More than a little curious, he went to Sam's lab.

"I just found out that Jack, Daniel and Teal'c are off-world," he said. "So, where'd they go off to in such a hurry?"

"It's a mission that suddenly came up," Sam replied, trying to hide her tension.

"Too important to wait until tomorrow?"

"Yeah. It's not dangerous, though. It's a planet that we've been to before."

"And they won't need you?"

"Nope."

Jacob stared long and hard at his daughter. She hadn't met his eyes even once during the conversation. "Sam, what aren't you telling me? What is this mission?"

The major let out a soundless sigh. She should have known that she couldn't fool her dad. "I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

"I can't say any more. You need to talk to General Hammond."

Jacob kept his gaze on his daughter a moment longer, seeing how uncomfortable she was. "All right." He gave her back a little rub, feeling the tension in her muscles. "Don't worry, Sam. I understand that you're just following orders."

Sam relaxed a bit and met her father's eyes. "I really would tell you if I could, Dad."

He gave her a smile. "I know."

Jacob immediately went to Hammond's office. When the general saw the Tok'ra's expression, he knew that the cat was out of the bag regarding SG-1's departure.

"Sit down, Jacob," he said, motioning to one of the chairs across the desk.

Jacob took a seat. "So, are you going to tell me about this hush-hush mission that Daniel, Jack and Teal'c went on?"

"I would if I'd been given permission to do so, but, at this time, I'm afraid that you're going to have to wait a while longer."

Jacob frowned. "Is it just me that you can't tell or is it the Tok'ra?"

"It isn't you personally, Jacob."

"I see. From what you said, I'm guessing that you will be telling us eventually."

Hammond nodded. "After the mission is complete."

"Which will be when?"

"Tomorrow. Then, with permission from the president, you and the other Tok'ra will be told."

"All right. I guess there's nothing I can do about that. I do want to know one thing, though. How much of a blow-up can Selmak and I expect from the rest of the Tok'ra when you _do_ tell us? We'd sort of like to be prepared for the fallout and to handle damage control."

"I'll just say that the Tok'ra are not going to be happy about having been kept in the dark. At the same time, however, they will be able to recognize that, if we had told you beforehand, it could have been a disaster."

Jacob's gaze sharpened. "You're talking about Bres En."

"Yes."

The Tok'ra nodded once. "Okay. I'll be waiting with bated breath."

* * *

Daniel was in the midst of an argument with one of the scientists. The man was failing to grasp the importance of downloading any of the cultural information Daniel had discovered on the Ancients.

"Look," the archeologist said, beginning to lose patience. "This information could give us valuable insights on the Ancients as a people. The more we understand about them as a race before they ascended, the closer we come to understanding how they came to their beliefs and decisions about ascension."

"What does that matter? I don't see how it makes any difference."

Barely containing a more scathing remark, Daniel said, "So, are you saying that if someone on another planet wanted to know why the U.S. government decided to develop the atomic bomb and then drop it on two cities, the reason why we did it wouldn't matter?"

"That's different."

"Why?"

"Because we'd want them to know that it was for a good reason."

Daniel's eyes narrowed dangerously, his lips pursing in a hard line.

Jack, seeing the danger sign, quickly stepped forward.

"Daniel, I think it's time for you to go to your happy place again," he said. He turned to the scientist. "How long will it take to download that stuff he wants you to?"

"Maybe twenty minutes, give or take."

"Then do it."

"But—"

"You heard me."

Looking like he'd been forced to suck on a lemon, the scientist spun around and told one of the others to do as Jack had commanded.

The colonel took hold of Daniel's arm and pulled him off to the side.

"You need to chill out, Daniel," he said. "You're not doing yourself or anyone else any good in the state you're in right now."

Daniel visibly tried to relax. "There's just so much there, Jack. The more we delve into those computers, the more I see how much we're going to lose when we blow them up. What if something we haven't found could help us destroy the Goa'uld or end world hunger or—"

"I know, Daniel," Jack interrupted, "and, as much as it may surprise you, I do understand. But there's nothing we can do about it. We just need to make the best of a bad situation, get as much as we can, and hope that what we do get turns out to be stuff that we can really use."

Daniel rubbed his hand over his forehead, trying to ease his headache. "You're right. It's just hard for me. The deliberate destruction of knowledge has always been hard for me to swallow, like the destruction of the library at Alexandria. I think about all that was lost, knowledge that we will never get back. . . ."

"And your head wants to explode?"

"Not exactly. It just really bothers me."

"But this isn't the same situation. We have to destroy this place to keep anyone who shouldn't have that knowledge from getting it. It isn't just wanton destruction."

Daniel studied his friend, surprised by the comment. He nodded. "You're right. Thanks, Jack."

The colonel patted his shoulder. "Sure thing. Now, get on back to work. Time's a wastin'."

Several hours later, as dawn lightened a sky that the people in the underground lab could not see, a weary Daniel and the scientists took a very brief break to eat something. In just a few more hours, Sam and the team that would be pulling out the chair and drones would arrive. Then, the charges would be set, the power module would be removed, and all the knowledge they'd had no time to save would be destroyed. They could all feel the weight of that fact bearing down on them. As the night wore on, progressively more arguments had broken out between the scientists on what to save and not save. Keeping Jack's words in his mind, Daniel had tried to play peacekeeper, but everyone's nerves were frayed, tempers on edge, and they were all exhausted. Daniel wished that he could curl up in the corner and go to sleep. He envied Jack and Teal'c, who were both up top, probably having a lot better time than he was.

After shoveling down his MRE without really tasting it, Daniel rose to his feet and returned to one of the computers, bringing up the menu to the place he'd left off. He scanned the Ancient text, seeing so many categories that he ached to explore. Viciously shoving that ache down deep inside, he focused on the task of deciding what knowledge would be the most valuable to the program and Earth as a whole.

When Sam arrived at the lab, accompanied by Jack, she could see at a glance how Daniel was doing. She walked up to him and rubbed his back.

"How are you doing? Not that I really need to ask. I can tell just by looking at you."

"It hasn't been fun," the archeologist replied, not elaborating.

He and his team continued to work as the drones were harvested. Then came the job of removing the control chair. The thing was quite heavy, and it took four men to get it over to the transporter. Jack accompanied it up, where Teal'c and three others helped get it on the vehicle that would transport it to the city.

"Okay, boys," Jack said to Daniel's team upon returning to the lab. "Wrap it up. Time for you to go topside."

Reluctantly, the men disconnected the storage devices from the Ancient computers, gathered up all the equipment, and went with Jack to the surface. Sam got busy setting the C-4 charges, deliberately not looking at Daniel, who was standing at one of the computers, staring at the holographic screen.

Once the last charge was set, she went to his side.

"Daniel. I'm sorry. It's time."

The archeologist sighed softly, his eyes closing for a moment. He felt like he was committing a great crime against humanity and the Ancients. The Ancients had left this knowledge here, perhaps hoping that someone worthy would come along and make use of it, and, now, he was going to be a part of destroying it.

His heart heavy, Daniel shut down the computer. He went to the panel behind which was the power module and opened it. Sam removed the module and slipped it into a bag. She then pulled out a remote and pressed the button. The countdown on the charges began.

Seconds later, they were on the surface. Jack met Daniel's eyes, seeing all he needed to know there.

The three members of SG-1 joined Teal'c and all the others outside the complex, where everyone waited in silence. Sam began counting down the time as it reached ten seconds to detonation. When she reached zero, everyone tensed, but they felt nothing, not even the slightest tremor, the lab too far underground for an explosion of that size to be detectable.

"How can we be sure the charges went off?" one scientist asked.

"There's only one way," Daniel replied, "if we try going down there and fail, then we know."

"Negative," Jack said. "Those charges were big enough to destroy the computers, but we can't be sure that the transporter was totally destroyed, especially not if it's as hard to knock out as a Stargate. I don't want you to find out that you can get down there but not get back. It worked. The place is history."

Daniel's gaze dropped to the ground. He felt sick at the loss of all that knowledge.

"I understand your distress, Daniel Jackson," Teal'c stated softly.

Daniel nodded slightly, saying nothing.

For Daniel, the trip back to the city seemed to take far longer than it actually did. In the SGC's gate room, he looked at no one, remaining mostly silent throughout the post-mission exam that followed. Then came the debriefing, where Daniel filled Hammond in briefly on how the night went. He said nothing about the arguments and squabbles, keeping to the bare facts.

The moment he and the others were dismissed, he went to his quarters, not needing the general's quiet command to get some sleep. But sleep did not come. He was lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling, when Egeria entered. She slipped off her shoes, lay down beside him, and pulled him into her arms.

It took a while, but, in her embrace, he slowly relaxed and slipped into sleep. As the hours passed, Egeria remained where she was. She wished that they could go somewhere far away, someplace where Daniel could forget about what this day had brought, but that would not be possible. Now that the lab was gone, the Tok'ra would be told about it and the weapon. She did not doubt that some members of the High Council would be furious over the SGC deliberately keeping the knowledge of the lab from them, and she needed to be here to help calm their ire.

With that thought in her mind, Egeria closed her eyes and drifted off into a light sleep.


	25. Chapter 25

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Daniel slept for four hours, which was not as long as Egeria had hoped. As he took a long shower, she went to the commissary to get something for them to eat, having guessed that he wasn't in the mood to socialize. She saw Sam, Jack and Teal'c at one of the tables and went over to them.

"How's Daniel doing?" the major asked.

"His heart is heavy. It hurt him a great deal to lose that knowledge."

"I know how he feels."

"Is he coming here?" Jack asked.

Egeria shook her head. "No, I am here to get something for us to eat in his quarters. Do you know when the Tok'ra will be told about the lab?"

"Not exactly. Hammond was going to be talking to the president about it today, so I'm guessing that it'll be tomorrow, which is too soon for me. I'm not looking forward to dealing with a bunch of pissy Tok'ra."

Egeria tried her best to lift Daniel's mood as they ate and succeeded in getting a small smile or two out of him. After the meal, he wanted to go to his office to get some work done, but the former queen insisted that he relax for the rest of the evening. That night, she made love to him slowly and gently, taking care not to aggravate his injury.

The Tok'ra were contacted the next morning. It was Selmak, Delek and Celdeth who came through. They went to the briefing room with SG-1, Hammond and Egeria. The general first asked how things were going with setting up the sensors. Delek replied that there had been no trouble and that both bases were now protected against a cloaked person entering undetected.

"That's good." Hammond exchanged glances with SG-1 and Egeria before turning his gaze back to the Tok'ra. "We have some things to tell you about a discovery we made off-world. Doctor Jackson, I believe it would be best for you to start."

Daniel launched into an explanation about the Ancient ruins they'd discovered. He did not say anything about the fact that it was upon the planet that held the descendants of Estrania's human population, figuring that the Tok'ra didn't need to know that right now. As he got to the part about the lock barring entrance to the tower room, the interest of the Tok'ra increased substantially. Then he told them about being accidentally beamed down to the lab.

"What did this lab contain?" Celdeth asked.

"I'll, uh, get to that in a moment." He told them about being trapped, not knowing where he was or how to get out, then about Jack's entrance.

"None of us had seen Daniel disappear," Sam said, "but I saw when the colonel was beamed away. Teal'c and I discovered that the transporter would not work for either of us."

"I would assume that was because of the Naquadah in your blood and the Tretonin that Teal'c takes," Delek surmised.

"That's what we thought, but we were wrong."

"It has to do with something that's different with me and Jack," Daniel explained. "It won't work for anyone except the two of us. Now, for me, I'm guessing that it's because I was ascended. We don't know about Jack, though the Asgard told us a while back that he is genetically different from the average human."

"Interesting," Selmak said. "It might be beneficial to find out how you and he differ genetically from other humans."

"Yeah, well, you can forget about poking and prodding us," Jack responded. "It's bad enough that some of our own scientists want to dissect our DNA to see what's going on."

"We can talk about that another time," Daniel said. He paused a moment, then told them about the computers in the lab and what they contained.

"This is an incredible find," Celdeth said excitedly. "We will, of course, want to study the knowledge."

"Um . . . that's not going to be possible," Sam told them, "at least not all of it."

It was Jacob who responded. "Why not?"

"Because we blew it up yesterday," Jack replied bluntly.

The three Tok'ra stared at him and the others like they were insane.

"You destroyed a lab that contained priceless Ancient knowledge that may have helped us defeat the Goa'uld?" Jacob asked, his voice heavy with disbelief. "Why on Earth would you do that?"

Over the next several minutes, he and the other Tok'ra were filled in on everything that had happened, the fact that it was there that the Ashrak attacked Egeria and SG-1, the discovery of the repository, the weapon system and power module, and more about what the computers contained and _didn't_ contain.

"Why were we not told about this immediately?" Delek asked, obviously ticked off.

"Does the name Bres En ring any bells?" Jack answered.

"We were afraid that if there were any Goa'uld spies among the Tok'ra, they'd report the existence of the base to whatever Goa'uld they were in league with," Daniel added. "Now, Bres En wouldn't have done that since he wasn't working for a Goa'uld, but I'd rather not dwell on what he'd have done to get hold of that lab and what was in it."

The three Tok'ra shared a long look. It was Selmak who spoke.

"We can't deny the threat that Bres En would have posed if he had learned of the lab and its contents."

"That is true," Delek said. He glared at the others. "But that does not take away from the fact that you deliberately kept vitally important knowledge from us, knowledge that, under the language of the Earth/Tok'ra alliance—"

"Oh, here it comes," Jack interrupted. "Why is it that when we're the ones not telling you things or you're the ones asking for something from us, you throw that damn alliance in our faces, but when the shoe is on the other foot, that alliance isn't quite so important to you? How many secrets are you keeping from us, huh? And what about all the knowledge and technology that you're refusing to share with us?"

Egeria caught the gaze of her three children, subjecting them to a look that told them that Jack had a valid point. There was one secret she knew of that the Tok'ra were keeping from Earth, and there were likely others, perhaps ones even bigger than the locations of Tok'ra spies within the ranks of the Goa'uld. And she had already expressed her displeasure that the Tok'ra had been withholding valuable technology from Earth that could help them fight the Goa'uld.

Celdeth turned away from the hard gaze. "If there are things that we have not revealed," she said defensively, "it has been to preserve the safety of the Tok'ra or because we believe that Earth is not ready for the knowledge."

"And we kept the knowledge of that lab hidden from you for the sake of this entire galaxy," Daniel countered. "And, as it turned out, it's a good thing that we did."

Selmak looked at his fellow Tok'ra. "He is right, and, as much as you might hate that he is, you need to accept it. They made the right decision. Telling us could have resulted in a catastrophe, giving vast knowledge and power to someone who would have used it to take over control of the galaxy, if he could have found a way."

"That is if Anubis didn't take it from him."

Daniel's statement chilled the Tok'ra.

"I cannot deny that telling us before Bres En's treachery was discovered could have been a disaster," Delek conceded. "However, Bres En is dead and no longer poses a threat, yet still you kept this from us."

"How could we be sure there wasn't another traitor among the Tok'ra?" Sam countered. "What if Bres En had accomplices? There is a possibility that he did."

Selmak handed over control to Jacob. "That's no longer going to be a concern. This latest incident has made it clear that we need to do periodic questioning with a Zatarc detector on all Tok'ra, especially those of higher rank and ones in positions that could seriously compromise our security. All of the remaining High Council members have already been tested, as will the Tok'ra who takes Bres En's place. As for everyone else, they are presently in the process of being tested as well. If there are any more traitors, we'll find them."

"I am sure that we are all relieved to hear that," Hammond said. "I assure you that if it was safe to do so, we would have told you of our discovery when it was made. My superiors made the decision that they felt they needed to under the circumstances. Now, shall we move forward?"

The Tok'ra were told the rest of it, including a brief synopsis by Daniel of what kind of information was retrieved from the computers, as well as their hopes for getting into the knowledge that the repository held.

"Then you have the repository, power module and the weapon system in your possession," Celdeth said.

Sam nodded. "At this point, the weapon can't be controlled by anyone but Daniel and Colonel O'Neill, and it would be suicide to allow anyone to interface with the repository, but, like Daniel said, we're hoping that, with what we learned from the computers in the lab, we can find a way to set the repository for partial downloads or perhaps even download the entire contents into something else."

"It may be possible to download information into storage crystals," Delek said.

"We'd welcome any help with that. The things in that repository would be of immense value to both of us."

"We would also like a copy of the things you retrieved from the computers," Celdeth said.

"Of course," the general responded. "We'll see that you get it as soon as possible."

"I wish to examine the control chair and one of the drones," Delek stated.

Hammond nodded. "Major Carter can take you to where we're keeping them." He looked about at everyone. "Are there any other questions at this time?"

"What are your intentions regarding the weapon?" Celdeth asked.

"Our ultimate goal is to set it up here on Earth to protect the planet against a Goa'uld attack."

Delek frowned. "A weapon of vast power that you know little to nothing about."

"We know more than you think," Jack corrected. "We've already used it once. Or I should say that Daniel has."

The three Tok'ra looked sharply at the archeologist.

"The Ashrak," Jacob guessed. "You said that he was blown up."

Daniel nodded. "There was no other choice."

The meeting came to an end, and the Tok'ra were taken by Sam to see the chair and the drones it controlled. She discussed the technology with them, sharing her guesses and what had been learned about it from the lab computers. Delek wanted one of the drones to take back to the Tok'ra base to study in more detail. Sam said that he'd have to talk to the general about that.

"Where is the power module?" Celdeth asked.

"It's in my lab. We've already begun to study it, and what we've learned so far is incredible. That module alone is one of the most significant finds we've made since we first started going through the gate. If we could find more of them, we would have an enormous source of power. I can only imagine how fast a ship with a hyperdrive powered by one could fly. Unfortunately, we couldn't find any information in the lab on where we could find more of them or how to make them, so, unless we stumble across one or we can find out from the repository where there are more, that one will have to do, and we'll need it to power the chair."

The group went to Sam's lab, where the Tok'ra studied the power module intently, commenting on its crystalline design, which was reminiscent of their own use of crystals.

Sam glanced about the lab and suddenly realized that something was missing.

"Where's the repository?" she wondered.

"It was in here?" Jacob asked.

"Yeah, right over there." Sam went to the phone and made a call. What she learned made her frown. Daniel had requested that the repository be brought to his office. Wondering what he was up to, she headed over there, the three Tok'ra coming along.

What Sam saw when she got there made her more than a little concerned. The repository was sitting on a cart, and the cloth covering it had been completely removed. Daniel was at his computer, studying something.

"Daniel, what are you doing?" Sam asked.

"Trying to learn how to use it."

"Without someone here with you? Daniel—"

"I'm being careful, Sam. I have no intention of sticking my head in that thing."

The astrophysicist studied him closely, wondering if this had been motivated by his feelings about the destruction of the lab.

"Even so, this should be done in a more controlled environment," she told him, "with another person present in case of an accident."

Daniel met her eyes, seeing her concern. "Sam, you know as well as I that, at this point, if someone accidentally interfaces with that thing, there's nothing that anyone else could do to halt the download."

Deciding that this was something to be discussed later, Sam said nothing.

Celdeth walked up to the repository, which did not react to her presence. She stared at the opening, though she took care to keep her head away from it.

"You had another one of these at one time, did you not?" she asked.

Sam nodded. "Yes, but we were never able to get it to work again, and we figured that the download into Colonel O'Neill drained the last of its power."

"How can you be certain that the same is not true with this one?"

In reply, Daniel approached the repository. It immediately reacted and grew in size, telescoping upward, which startled the three Tok'ra, making Celdeth take a hasty step backwards.

"Whoa," Jacob said.

Celdeth studied Daniel with interest, at that moment more of a scientist than a councillor.

"Do they respond only to you and Colonel O'Neill or to anyone who does not carry a symbiote?" she asked

It was Sam who replied. "We don't know. The first repository we encountered appeared when Colonel O'Neill crossed a circle of writing on the floor. It did the same thing that one just did when he got close to it, but it didn't react at all to Teal'c's presence. Daniel has been the only one who triggered this one. We had some scientists studying it the other day, but they kept the opening covered, which appears to deactivate the device."

"So, you haven't tested to see if it reacts to anyone else besides Daniel or Jack," Jacob said.

"No."

"With your permission, I would like to conduct a test and see if it would do so," Celdeth said. She glanced at the cloth sitting on the table beside the Ancient device. "You said that covering the opening deactivates it." After asking Daniel to step away from the repository, she picked up the cloth and draped it over the opening. The Ancient device quickly shrunk back to its former size. Celdeth turned her gaze on Sam. "Since you have Naquadah in your blood, testing it with you would not give us a definitive answer. Would you call someone else into the room, please?"

Sam called one of the scientists who'd been studying the repository. Once he arrived, Celdeth uncovered the repository and asked the man to come closer. He hesitated and looked at Sam, who told him to do it. Clearly leery of the thing on the cart, the scientist slowly approached it, but very quickly jumped back when it responded to his presence.

"Interesting," Celdeth murmured as she covered the opening again. "It would appear that this device will respond to any human without a symbiote."

Now dying of curiosity, Sam walked up to the repository and carefully uncovered it. She was thrilled when it reacted to her.

"Apparently, it's able to tell the difference between a host and a former host," she said. "But this doesn't tell us if any human who isn't a host could interface with it. Judging by what Thor said, it could be that only someone like Daniel or the colonel could take the download."

After covering the repository back up, Sam gave Daniel a look that told him she wasn't pleased about what he'd done. The thought went through his mind that he seemed to be getting into a lot of trouble with the female gender lately. But then, when Jack found out about this, he wasn't going to be all that pleased either.

It turned out that Daniel was right about that. Jack came marching in around half an hour later, a hard look on his face.

"What did you think you were doing when you brought that alien head-sucker in here?" he asked, waving his hand at the thing.

"Technically, Jack, it's not a head-sucker since sucking would mean extracting something rather than the opposite."

"Don't play the semantics game with me, Daniel. You're going to answer my question."

The archeologist gave a sigh. "I had all the information we got on it from the lab copied into my computer, and having it in front of me as I read about it made things easier. I also wanted to study the casing in more detail, make sure that there wasn't some kind writing or symbols that I didn't notice before."

"And what would you have done if you'd gotten too close to that opening, and it grabbed that idiot head of yours?"

"I was careful. I didn't uncover the opening until just a few minutes before Sam and the others showed up. I wanted to make sure it was still working." Seeing that his friend was still pissed, Daniel said, "Jack, how many times has Sam or some other scientist worked all by themselves on a potentially dangerous piece of alien technology? I'm not talking about on a mission, but right here, on base?"

"I don't know. A few times, I guess."

"More than a few. Yet nobody made a fuss about it. So, do you think that I'm not as capable as them or that I'm more careless . . . more clumsy?"

"No, I don't think that, Daniel."

The archeologist stared straight into his eyes. "Then why do you think I'm incapable of studying a piece of technology belonging to a race that I've spent five years learning all I can about without getting into trouble?"

Unable to hold that challenging stare, Jack looked elsewhere. "Okay, so you knew what you were doing. But you know how I feel about those things, Daniel. They give me the willies. If it wasn't for what we might be able to learn from it, I'd recommend blowing the damn thing up."

"I know."

"So, have you learned anything?"

"Actually, I have." Daniel's lips twitched ever so slightly. "You can set it so that it doesn't grab your head."

Jack's voice was heavy with sarcasm when he said, "Oh, I am just so thrilled to hear that."

When Daniel went to lunch, he saw Sam sitting with her father and asked if he could join them. When he sat down, he moved the wrong way, sending pain shooting through his ribs. The other two people at the table noticed his wince.

"How are the ribs?" the Tok'ra asked. He smiled slightly. "I understand that Egeria wasn't happy with you that you failed to tell anyone about them."

"She's not the only one. Janet wasn't very pleased with me either. They're still sore, and I have to be careful not to lay on that side. What's worse is that I'm off full active duty until they completely heal, which is going to be a while. At times like this, I almost wish I was a Tok'ra."

"Well, maybe I could do something about that."

Daniel stared at him. "Excuse me?"

Jacob almost laughed at the archeologist's expression. "No, I'm not suggesting that you become a Tok'ra, Daniel. I was talking about the Goa'uld healing device. I no longer have with me the one I used on the SF, but you guys still have one, don't you?"

Sam nodded, thinking about the last time her father used it. She quickly shied away from the memory of that awful day when her best friend left them.

Daniel agreed to let Jacob use the device. Knowing that Janet would want to monitor the process, they all went to the infirmary, stopping to get the device first.

It took only a few seconds for Jacob to heal the cracked ribs and soft tissue damage caused by Bres En. Daniel was relieved that the pain was now gone and thanked the man.

Sam's father and the other Tok'ra left a few minutes later. Before leaving, they said that they would send a couple of scientists as soon as possible to study the repository for a way to download the information into crystals.

For the rest of the day, Daniel focused all his time on studying the information about the repository that was retrieved from the lab computers. Unfortunately, there was nothing about how to download the knowledge in some other way besides a direct interface.

While in the midst of reading the stuff on doing partial downloads, he found something that sent him over to Sam's lab.

"I don't think we're going to be able to do a partial download from the repository," he told her, "at least not by interfacing with it. I was reading the stuff we got from the computers, and, apparently, there's supposed to be a second device that acts as a controller. You use it to program what information a repository downloads."

"Did it say what the controller looks like or where it was kept?"

Daniel shook his head. "From what it said, they were portable, so they were probably brought to the repository by whomever was going to use the thing. This seems to confirm my belief that the entire contents of those repositories aren't meant to be downloaded all at once. I always wondered about that."

"So, without the controller, the repository doesn't know what it's supposed to download, so it downloads it all?"

"Yep."

"Well, it's doubtful that anyone would have been allowed to interface with that thing anyway, even for just a partial download, so this may not matter. Our focus needs to be on how to get that information out of there in another way."

Daniel nodded slightly, not revealing his disappointment. He had been hoping that, if they could have set it for a partial download, he would have been given permission to take it.

"Speaking of the repository," Sam said, "I'm still not happy that you were studying it without any kind of safety measures in place. That thing is dangerous."

"Yes, it is, Sam, and I appreciate that. I may not be a scientist like you are, but I have come to respect the dangers in handling alien technology. I've nearly died more than once because of some alien device we encountered. I'm not eager for it to happen again."

Sam realized that he had a point. "You're right. I'm sorry for coming down on you. I'm just worried that you want that knowledge so badly that you might not be as careful with that thing as you normally would be."

Daniel's gaze slid away from hers. "I do want it, Sam. I sometimes think about all the things I lost when I descended. For some people, it would be the loss of all that power that would bug them the most, the stuff like controlling lightning and fire. But, for me, it's the loss of the knowledge. I guess it's just as well that I can't remember most of that year. If I could actually remember having that knowledge, it would be even worse. But then again, what good did it do to have it? I possessed all that knowledge, yet I wouldn't have been allowed to pass it on to others or do anything with it that would have helped anyone."

He walked over to the Ancient power module, but, though he was looking at it, his mind was not on it.

"When I wanted to stay behind to study the device on Heliopolis, Ernest told me that no prize was worth attaining if you could never share it, that there would be no point." Daniel turned back to Sam. "The Ascended have all that knowledge, yet what do they do with it? Do they share it with people who could really use and appreciate it? Do they use it to make a difference in the lives of others? What good is it if they just keep it to themselves? At least Oma tries to help people reach ascension. At least she's doing something. And she's an outcast because of it. I'm not talking about knowledge of weapons. What happened on Velona was a great example of what happens when a civilization is given advanced weaponry that they are not responsible enough to use the way it should be. But what about all the other stuff, knowledge that could help so many people?"

"I know, Daniel. I doubt I will ever understand why the Ascended have their rules. But maybe now that we have that repository, we'll be able to get that knowledge and use it to do some good." Sam smiled. "And on that subject, I was wondering if you'd like to work with me and the Tok'ra scientists on it. It's been ages since you and I worked together on a project, and your knowledge of the Ancients and their language may really be needed."

Daniel returned the smile. "Sure, I'd like that. When do you expect the Tok'ra scientists to arrive?"

"That's a little up in the air. Dad said that they'd send someone as soon as they could. Whoever comes will also have some storage crystals for the stuff we got from the lab computers, although I have to wonder how well any of the Tok'ra read Ancient. Dad says that Selmak's knowledge of the language is very limited."

"Well, just as long as they don't expect me to translate all of it. That would take forever."

Daniel returned to his office. Egeria came in a short while later and convinced him to take a break and go with her for some dessert in the commissary, giving him a hard time about the fact that he worked through lunch.

As Egeria ate some pie and Daniel had a sandwich, they talked about what they were working on. The archeologist told her what he'd discovered about the repository.

"Then your only hope of retrieving the knowledge is to find a way to download it into something else?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

Egeria studied him closely. "You are disappointed."

Daniel let out a sigh. "Yeah, a little." He paused. "Okay, maybe more than just a little. I know that I probably wouldn't have been given permission to interface with it for even a partial download, but now it wouldn't matter even if I could have talked someone into allowing it. It makes losing those computers even worse."

Egeria rested her hand over his. "We just need to keep hoping that you will succeed in retrieving the repository's contents in another way."

Daniel nodded and returned his attention to his sandwich.

The entire following day, Daniel kept his attention on the things retrieved from the Ancient computers. As the only person who was fluent in the Ancient language, he knew that the bulk of the translating would be up to him, and he could foresee many late nights in his future.

The archeologist's attention was pulled away to something else when the SGC was contacted by a Jaffa named Ryk'l who was in the service of the Goa'uld Moloc. He wanted to meet with SG-1, claiming that he had important information about Moloc.

When Egeria heard which Goa'uld the Jaffa was serving, she asked to be a part of the briefing, and Hammond agreed. Teal'c knew very little about Moloc, except that word among the rebel Jaffa was that many in his service secretly longed to be free. Daniel, on the other hand, knew quite a bit about the part Moloc played in Earth's history as Moloch, the sun god of the Canaanites in ancient Palestine, an utterly evil deity to whom firstborn children were sacrificed by being burned to death.

"All of the Goa'uld have done evil, despicable things," Egeria said in response, "but, of them all, Moloc is one of the cruelest and most malevolent. He also has great contempt for women, considering them to be of little value." The look on her face told everyone that there was something personal behind her statement.

"Let me guess," Jack said. "You had a bit of a run-in with him."

Egeria's expression darkened even more. "In his opinion, Goa'uld queens have no purpose except to spawn larvae. He did not believe that I should be allowed to have my own domain to rule, but should, instead, be under the rule of a System Lord."

"Wow," Sam said in response. "I know that some Goa'uld in male hosts can be chauvinistic, but that is something else. That's like men here who think that women should be only housewives and baby-makers. Does he feel that way about all Goa'uld in female hosts?"

"No. Though he has far less respect for a Goa'uld who chooses to have a female host, because those Goa'uld are not female themselves, his attitude is not quite so . . . chauvinistic. Moloc has no priests serving him, only priestesses because it pleases him to place women in subservient roles. His priestesses are not allowed a life outside of their service to him. Their only freedom is their ability to travel throughout his territories in the attendance of their duties."

"Sounds like a real charming fellow," Jack remarked. He turned to Hammond. "If this Jaffa of his is on the level, I'd sure love to do what we could to stick it to this Moloc character."

"I agree," said Sam, who was steamed about the Goa'uld's attitude about women.

"As do I," stated Teal'c.

"You can add me to the list," Daniel said.

Hammond nodded shortly. "Very well. You have a go for the mission."

SG-1 left for the planet early the next morning. From that point on, things went downhill fast. No sooner had they met Ryk'l when they found themselves under fire, Ryk'l dying immediately from a shot in the back. Things were not looking good when, all of a sudden, someone else started firing upon the attacking Jaffa. SG-1 thought that some rebel Jaffa might have come to their rescue. And then they saw who their saviors were: a group of six female Jaffa.

The dark-skinned woman who appeared to be the leader of the group wanted SG-1 to come with them, having assured the team that she and the others meant them no harm. The appearance of death gliders heightened the level of urgency. Jack was considering just going back to Earth when he and his teammates were shocked to see one of the women remove the larva from one of the enemy Jaffa, who was still alive.

Daniel asked what the woman was doing and was told by the dark-skinned Jaffa that there was no time to explain there. She asked again for SG-1 to come with them. The Jaffa who had removed the larvae blurted out something in Goa'uld, not looking pleased, and the other woman responded.

As the women continued the tense conversation, Jack asked Teal'c what was going on.

Teal'c gestured toward the apparent leader of the female Jaffa. "This one believes we should return to her planet. That one believes it would not be wise."

The dark-skinned Jaffa turned to SG-1. "Please. We knew you'd be here."

Teal'c was instantly suspicious. "How?"

"Our intelligence network runs deep within the Jaffa of Moloc. We came to ask for help. I promise you will be safe."

"Well, they did save us," Daniel pointed out, thinking that they should at least listen to what the Jaffa had to say. He and his teammates exchanged glances.

"What the hell," Jack said. "I guess it won't hurt to go with them." He looked up as another glider flew overhead. "And I'm thinking that going now would be a good idea."

A while later, as they exited the Stargate, they were greeted by the sight of yet more female Jaffa, two of whom were on horseback.

"Welcome to Hak'tyl," said the dark-skinned Jaffa, whose name was Mala.

Daniel leaned toward Teal'c. "Independence?"

"Liberation."

Mala gestured toward the south. "Our dwellings are this way. Please."

"Ah, y'know, we really should call home first," Jack said, "let the folks know where we are. It's past our curfew."

"By all means."

As Sam went off to dial Earth, the Jaffa named Neith spoke out again to Mala.

"Why have we brought them here?"

"Because that was our mission."

"Why was I not told?"

Daniel and Teal'c looked at each other in concern, seeing the friction between the women.

"Because we knew you would disagree," Mala told Neith. "Go ahead. Tell Ishta of our success."

Neith mounted one of the horses and rode away.

On the walk to the settlement, SG-1 talked about who the female Jaffa were. Teal'c had never before heard of a Goa'uld who would allow his women Jaffa to be warriors.

"Based on what Egeria said about Moloc and his attitude toward women, I really find it hard to believe that he would," Daniel said. "They do seem well trained, though."

"All females receive training," Teal'c told him. "They are expected to defend their homeworld with their lives if their men are called to battle."

Daniel said that he couldn't help but think of the ancient Greek myth of the Amazons. This led to Jack wondering if the reason they'd been brought there was for him, Daniel and Teal'c to mate with the female Jaffa, just as the mythical Amazons captured men for the purpose of mating with them. Daniel, who was now feeling just a tad nervous, said that he didn't think so, formulating in his head how he was going to turn the women down if it turned out that he was wrong.

When the members of SG-1 entered the encampment, they all noticed the lack of men, confirming what they'd already begun to suspect. There were, however, lots of children, which naturally led to the question of who fathered them. Jack thought about bringing up the whole mating thing again, but decided against it.

As SG-1 walked with Mala through the camp, they noticed how nearly everyone looked at them with mistrust and, in some cases, even a hint of fear.

"You must forgive them," Mala said as they came to a large tent. "For many of the young this is the first time they have seen men."

Just then, a woman with long blonde hair exited the large tent, her bearing that of a woman who was in charge.

"This is Ishta," Mala said, "our leader."

Ishta came down the steps leading up to the tent's entrance, Neith behind her. Jack began to greet her, but she went right past him as if he wasn't there, going straight to Teal'c.

"Teal'c of Chulak," she said, "former First Prime of Apophis, Shol'va who has become a legend."

Jack leaned closer to Daniel. "Bit thick don't you think?" Daniel ignored the remark.

"I am no legend," Teal'c told Ishta. "I fight, as any true-hearted Jaffa, for the freedom that we deserve." He bowed his head, and she returned it. He then gestured toward his teammates. "This is Daniel Jackson, Major Carter and Colonel O'Neill."

Ishta came over to the three, and Jack said hello.

"I have asked you here so that I may propose an alliance," Ishta told them.

"That's a fine idea," Jack responded. "We should sit, talk, nosh."

His expression hard, Teal'c said, "No alliance can be formed between the Tau'ri and those who would steal symbiotes from their brother and leave him to die."

"He was no brother of mine," Neith exclaimed angrily, "just a murderer of innocent children!"

"Shal kree!" Ishta commanded firmly.

Neith folded her arms, obviously not happy.

Ishta turned back to SG-1. "There is much to discuss." She beckoned a teenaged girl to come over. The girl shyly obeyed. "This is Synak. This morning, she laid on her deathbed. She reached the age of Prata three days ago."

"Hmm?" Jack queried, not understanding.

"Puberty," Daniel explained.

"Ah."

"Without the symbiote we procured this morning, she would be dead now," Ishta said. She gestured to another teenager, who came over and stood on her other side. "This is Nesa, younger sister to Neith. She is next to reach the age. Without a symbiote, she will die," Ishta paused, "as will all our children."

The members of SG-1 looked about at all the kids, some of whom were barely more than babies, realizing the situation that these Jaffa were in.

Daniel turned back to Ishta. "But I don't understand. Why are you here, and why aren't there any men? Did you rebel against Moloc and are now hiding from him? Why not just join the other rebel Jaffa?"

"There is a great deal for us to tell you," Ishta replied. She asked for Sam to join her in the tent, making it clear by the way she looked at the other members of SG-1 that the astrophysicist was the only one being invited inside.

"Um, hold on there a minute," Jack said. "I'm the colonel, which means that I'm the one in charge of SG-1."

Ishta stared at him. "I am aware of this, Colonel O'Neill. However, I would prefer to discuss this with Major Carter. Rest assured that you will be told everything."

Jack opened his mouth to object, but Daniel stopped him. "Jack."

"What?"

Daniel gave him a look that clearly told him to just go with what Ishta wanted. Still not happy, Jack sighed silently and motioned for Sam to go on.

Sam followed Ishta, Mala and Neith into the tent, and they took a seat.

Ishta began to speak. "Thirty years ago, Moloc decreed that only male children would be allowed to live. Only they could strengthen his armies and lead him to victory in the war of the gods."

Sam didn't know if she should be surprised or not. Given what they'd learned from Egeria, it was no surprise that Moloc would have such a viewpoint, but it was also totally illogical.

"Well, aside from the obvious immorality, that doesn't make sense," she said. "How do you sustain a population of any gender without women?"

"The Jaffa life span is longer than humans. This could go on for a hundred years. Any female child is to be sacrificed in the ceremony of fire immediately after they're born."

Sam was now filled with horror. "They're burned to death?"

"Yes."

"Oh my God. He's doing it again."

"What do you mean?"

"Centuries ago, Moloc lived on Earth, posing as a god, and the humans who worshiped him sacrificed their firstborn children to him, both male and female. They were burned to death."

Ishta exchanged a look with Mala and Neith.

"This we did not know," Ishta said. "Then his evil is even greater than we had believed."

Sam suddenly realized what was going on here. "So all these kids here, they were supposed to be sacrificed, and you somehow saved them?"

It was Mala who answered. "Yes, we rescued them from their fate. Sadly, we cannot rescue them all. Many children still perish."

"So, how did you start bringing them here?"

"As a temple high priestess, part of my duty is to keep record of births," Ishta replied, "and to preside over the ceremony of fire itself." Her anger became more evident, barely held in check. "I could not sit back and watch my sisters being murdered and do nothing. As high priestess, I, along with my seconds Mala and Neith, are allowed relatively free access to the Chappa'ai of the worlds under Moloc's rule."

"No one outside this camp knows you're doing this," Sam guessed.

"No. Our duties require us to attend to many missionary matters on various planets."

"So, you offer the parents of these children a chance for their daughters to live."

"All but a few Jaffa under Moloc worship him religiously. Not even the parents can be trusted. The children have to be spirited away secretly for fear of being reported to the Imperial Guard."

"It is punishable by death to even question the rules of the god," Mala explained.

"Over the moons, we have succeeded in saving many from their birthright of death."

"So, you want our help to overthrow Moloc?"

Clearly surprised by Sam's question, Ishta, Mala and Neith exchanged glances. Ishta then began to smile.

"We may have underestimated you," she said.

"We've gone after Goa'uld before," Sam told her.

"Moloc is very powerful. His armies are vast."

"We have our ways and some very powerful allies."

"Forgive us, but our immediate goals are somewhat less ambitious."

Neith took over the explanation. "It is an ongoing struggle to procure the symbiotes needed for our young to survive. We lose many of our warriors in these raids. It is said your weapons are formidable."

"We also require sustenance," Mala said. "Food and supplies among our growing population are scarce."

"We are proud warriors," Ishta declared. "We offer you our services and our knowledge in return. We have an extensive intelligence network among the Jaffa under Moloc."

The thought came to Sam that Tretonin might be the perfect solution for these people. Then they would no longer have to hunt for symbiotes. She was just about to suggest it when she suddenly thought of something else.

"I think that there's another way we can help you, one that will mean that you'll never have to make another raid. You would also be helping one of our allies."

Curious, Ishta asked what she was talking about.

"I need to talk to my teammates first."

Ishta nodded. "Very well."

Sam left the tent and went to the others. They all went to a place at the edge of the camp where they could talk in private. The major filled them in on what she'd learned.

"Now, my first thought was that we offer them Tretonin," she said, "but then I thought of the Tok'ra."

Daniel nodded. "That could work, although we'd obviously have to talk to the Tok'ra about it. One of them would probably want to come here."

Jack looked over at the camp. "Yeah, I'm not so sure that these ladies would want anybody with a snake in their head coming here, even if it is a Tok'ra."

"You are likely correct, O'Neill," Teal'c said. "They must take great care that what they are doing is not discovered by Moloc and may be unwilling to trust the Tok'ra with their secret."

"But they're going to have to if they use Tok'ra larvae."

Daniel thought of something. "What if we had someone else pave the way first, act as a sort of . . . envoy?"

The others looked at him.

"What are you thinking?" Sam asked.

"I think we need to bring Egeria here."


	26. Chapter 26

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

The members of SG-1 stood at the Stargate on Hak'tyl. With them were several of the female Jaffa, including Ishta, Mala and Neith. None of the women, who also called themselves the Hak'tyl, knew the identity of the person for whom they waited, knowing only that it was someone of importance who was coming to speak to them about an offer that would end their reliance on Goa'uld larvae.

When SG-1 – minus Teal'c, who chose to stay behind to speak with Ishta – returned to the SGC with the request for Egeria to speak to the Hak'tyl, she eagerly agreed, and General Hammond gave his permission for her to do so. She said, however, that she wanted to make a few preparations first and would come through shortly. Daniel, Sam and Jack returned to the planet to tell the Hak'tyl that someone was coming to talk to them.

Jack glanced at his watch. "How long did she say she'd be?"

"She didn't say," Daniel answered.

"So, what is she doing? Fixing up her hair?"

Before Daniel could reply, the gate started dialing, and everyone turned to it. Seconds after the wormhole connected, Egeria came walking through, driving a gasp from Daniel's throat.

She stood before them in a long white gown, black tresses piled high upon her head, standing straight and proud and looking every inch the queen that she used to be. Although she did not bear the same face, at that moment, she looked so much like she did when Daniel first met her that he felt like he'd been thrown back in time again.

"Nice," Jack murmured under his breath.

Egeria gracefully walked down the steps and came to a stop before the group.

Daniel took a half-step forward. "Ishta, it is my pleasure to introduce you to Egeria, the mother of the Tok'ra race."

The introduction sent a shockwave through many of the Hak'tyl, some of whom began murmuring to each other.

Ishta stared at Egeria, who stared right back. The Hak'tyl leader immediately recognized that this was a woman who had held a position of power. But she also sensed something else.

"There is no symbiote inside you."

"That is true," Egeria confirmed. "I am no longer a Tok'ra. Do you know my story?"

"It is said that you turned against the Goa'uld and created children untainted with their evil so that they could fight against the Goa'uld. It is also said that you tried to save the people of Earth from being taken as slaves and hosts. Because of these things, you were hunted mercilessly by Ra until he captured and killed you."

"All of that is true, except that he did not kill me. Instead, he placed me in stasis, where I remained for many centuries until I was found by the humans who lived on the planet where the stasis unit had been left. I will not go into details now. I will say only that, thanks to Daniel, I was given another chance at life. I could have spent that life as the Tok'ra queen," her eyes went to Daniel, "but I chose instead to become human so that I could be with the man I love."

"But how can a Tok'ra become human?" Neith asked, frowning in suspicion.

"My memories and my consciousness, the essence of who I am as a person, were downloaded into the clone of a human body. I promise that everything will be explained to you in good time."

Ishta nodded shortly. "Very well. Let us go to the camp."

As they walked, Daniel fell into step beside Egeria.

"Where did you get that dress? You didn't have time to go get it today."

"I purchased it several weeks ago. When I saw it, it reminded me of the dress I often wore on Estrania, the one I was wearing when I first laid eyes upon you. I decided to purchase it to wear on a special occasion." She smiled slightly. "This was not the occasion I had in mind, but I decided that it would be more fitting for me to dress as Queen Egeria than as a Tau'ri."

"Good idea. I think you made a much bigger impression." A smile came to Daniel's lips. "I know you sure did on me. I thought for a second that I was right back on Estrania in the past."

All four members of SG-1 remained outside as Egeria joined Ishta, Mala and Neith in the meeting tent. Out of respect for Egeria, Ishta called for another chair to be brought in so that the former queen would not have to sit on cushions.

"Two thousand years ago," Egeria began, "I was a Goa'uld queen who ruled a planet called Estrania. Though I did not agree with many of the ways of my fellow Goa'uld, I was still one of them. But all that changed on the day I met a mysterious man who had come to my world. That man was Daniel Jackson."

"But how is that possible?" Mala asked.

"Unbeknownst to me, Daniel had accidentally traveled back in time to that era. He was captured by my Jaffa, and, because he had unknowingly broken a law of my domain, I commanded that he serve me as a slave for one year. Yet, despite his enslavement, he showed me nothing but kindness and compassion. In the days and weeks that followed, we became friends. He became far more than that to me. Because of him, I came to see my host in a new way. I began conversing with her and, eventually, allowed her to occasionally have back control of her body. And it is because of him that I chose to give birth to larvae who did not possess the Goa'uld knowledge and all the evil that comes with it. After he returned to his own time, I committed myself to bringing an end to the Goa'uld. You know what happened because of that and my efforts to free Earth. I was hunted down, captured and placed in stasis. More than sixty years ago, I was found by the people of Pangar. Unaware of my identity, they forced me to spawn continually so that they could use the bodies of my children for a drug they created that made them impervious to illness. By the time SG-1 came to that world and discovered me, I was dying."

"A sad reunion for you and Daniel," Mala said.

"Daniel was not with them," Egeria replied simply, deciding that explaining the reason for his absence would be too confusing and complicated. "Only a short while later, I died."

Neith frowned. "Yet you sit before us now."

"Yes. Not quite two months ago, because of a dire circumstance on another world, Daniel proposed a plan to go back in time to save a copy of my consciousness so that I could provide dearly needed information that only I possessed. The plan succeeded, my consciousness being temporarily downloaded into the mind of a volunteer named Ria. Also taken was a sample of the cells from my symbiote body so that it could be cloned by the Asgard and my consciousness transferred into it. But I loved Daniel still and knew that, if I became a Tok'ra again, we could never be together. And so I made the choice to remain human. A clone was made of Ria's body, and my consciousness was transferred to it. That is how I came to be in this body."

"It is an amazing story," Ishta said.

"If it is true," Neith added.

Egeria subjected her to a hard look. "You doubt my word? Do you, then, also doubt SG-1? They have told you who I am."

"Yes, a Goa'uld who claims to have done all these things for the good of the galaxy. But how can we trust you? How are we to know that everything you did was not part of a plan for you to gain control of the galaxy? You were a Goa'uld, and all Goa'uld are evil."

"Enough!" Ishta barked angrily. "You will not speak to our guest in such a way." She turned to Egeria. "Forgive her. It is in her nature to be mistrusting."

"I understand her mistrust," Egeria responded. Her gaze focused on Neith. "But your hatred is blinding you. If what you suspect is true, would I have chosen to forsake the power and long life that comes with being a symbiote? Would I have chosen to become human, a species that the Goa'uld look upon as far inferior to them? You know the answer. I would have resumed my place as the queen of the Tok'ra and continued to plot and scheme. The fact that I sit before you as a human is proof enough of my claims. No Goa'uld would be willing to do what I did for any reason."

Ishta stared at Neith. "You know that what she says is true, Neith. I will not have you accuse her of treachery again."

Neith remained sullenly silent.

"What of the Tok'ra?" Mala asked. "Were they not angered that you chose to be human? As their queen, did they not need you?"

"Yes, some were angry, but I think that most came to understand my decision once they understood why I made it. In truth, I did not forsake them. My children were in great need of a queen to spawn more Tok'ra. They were becoming extinct, with no new generations to replace those who died. If there had been no other choice, I would have given up my dream of being with Daniel and resumed my role as the Tok'ra queen, but there was another option. With the help of the Asgard, my symbiote body was cloned, and the consciousness of another Tok'ra was placed within it. She is now the new Tok'ra queen. However, the Tok'ra are now in need of many Jaffa to carry the larvae to which she is giving birth. Some of the rebel Jaffa have volunteered to do so, but we need more. I wish to offer you the option of placing Tok'ra larvae into your children and, if you wish, in all of your adults as well. If you agree, you will no longer have to steal Goa'uld larvae from other Jaffa. No more of your warriors will have to die in battle so that the children you care for may live."

Surprised by the offer, the three Jaffa looked at each other. Ishta was the first one to talk.

"But to do this the Tok'ra would have to know of our existence." She paused. "Or do they already know?"

"No, they do not yet know, nor will they, if you reject this offer outright. But if you are willing to consider it and discuss it further, then they will be told so that you may speak directly with Tok'ra representatives."

Neith frowned again. "Again, you ask us to trust ones whom we have no reason to trust."

"It is true that you do not know the Tok'ra, yet you must know of their history, how, for two thousand years, they have been an enemy of the Goa'uld. My children have suffered long and hard during these millennia to free this galaxy from the oppression of the Goa'uld, most giving their lives in the fight. I will not pretend that they are all virtuous and without flaws. They are not perfect, and even I disagree with some of their present policies, yet their commitment to our goal is unwavering. This alliance between your people and my children would be beneficial to both of you."

Ishta was silent for a moment. "I must think on your proposal. If I agree to do so, I will meet with the Tok'ra representatives, but not here. I would not yet be willing to disclose to them the location of this camp."

Egeria nodded her head. "Of course. The meeting could take place on a world of your choice. It could be on Earth, if you desire, which would be the safest for both parties." She got to her feet. "I will leave you so that you may discuss it."

Exiting the tent, Egeria joined SG-1.

"Well?" Jack asked.

"Ishta is considering meeting with Tok'ra representatives. As you guessed, she is concerned about revealing the existence of the Hak'tyl to them."

"Do you think that she'll go for it?" Sam asked.

"That I cannot say. As the leader of her people, she has to consider their welfare and safety and weigh the benefits against the risks. I know how difficult that can be. When I chose to actively fight against the Goa'uld, I knew that I would be placing my human subjects at risk, yet I felt that I could no longer turn my back on the plight of humanity throughout the galaxy, as well as the other races that suffer at the hands of the Goa'uld. Ishta will make the decision that she feels is the right one for all of her people."

"Ishta is a woman of great strength and intelligence," Teal'c stated. "I believe that she will make the right decision."

Jack looked at him, smiling ever so slightly. "T. You like her."

Teal'c lifted his chin fractionally. "I merely recognize her to be a strong woman and a very capable leader. Not many would do what she has done and do it with such skill and cunning."

Jack's smile got a bit bigger. "Yep, you like her."

The Jaffa said nothing in reply.

Back in the tent, a heated conversation was underway.

"How can you even consider this?" Neith asked Ishta angrily. "She was born a Goa'uld, and, though they may go by another name, all her spawn are of the same species as the Goa'uld. If we do this, we could be putting ourselves into the hands of our enemies."

"The Goa'uld are equally as much of an enemy to the Tau'ri, yet they are allied with the Tok'ra and with Egeria," Mala pointed out. "They cannot all be fools who have been duped."

"I have heard much about the Tok'ra," Ishta said, "and I believe that they are sincere in their desire to end the reign of the Goa'uld."

Neith's expression did not change. "Even if they are as they claim, to trust them with our secret could lead to Moloc learning about us. I say that we continue as we have for these thirty years."

"And do you think that Sillen would agree?" Ishta asked in a hard tone, naming a Hak'tyl who had recently died in a raid. "What about Bren'ek or Drey'in? What about young Kahli, who died before we could procure a symbiote for her? What the Tok'ra offer would save the lives of many Hak'tyl and allow us to focus more attention on saving children from the sacrificial fires. We cannot reject that offer without serious consideration. Please leave me now. I have much to think about on this matter."

SG-1 and Egeria turned when the tent flap opened to see Ishta's two seconds emerge. Though Mala's expression was calm and peaceful, Neith looked like she was pretty angry.

"Something tells me that Neith doesn't want Ishta to accept the offer," Daniel said.

Egeria nodded. "She does not trust me or the Tok'ra. Her hatred for the Goa'uld is great."

"Well, let's just hope that Ishta is more reasonable."

It was an hour later when Ishta left the tent and came up to SG-1 and Egeria.

"I will meet with the Tok'ra representatives," she said. "The meeting can take place on Earth."

"Great," Daniel responded. "We'll set things up right away."

* * *

Daniel glanced over at the two female Jaffa in the gate room. It had not gone unnoticed by anyone that it was only Ishta and Mala who had come to Earth to meet with the Tok'ra. Neith was likely on Hak'tyl, still stewing.

As the Stargate began dialing, all eyes focused upon it. They didn't know which Tok'ra were coming, though Egeria had requested that Selmak be one of them.

Selmak was, indeed, one of the Tok'ra who emerged from the event horizon, the other one being Aranae, a pleasant surprise to Egeria. What surprised Daniel and his teammates was the fact that the Tok'ra queen was missing her retinue of bodyguards.

As the Tok'ra left the ramp, Egeria came forward with a smile and took the queen's hands.

"Aranae. I did not expect you to be among the ones to come."

"Since my children are the ones in need of Jaffa to carry them, I thought it only right that I attend this meeting."

"So, where are the bodyguards?" Jack asked.

"I did not think that the Hak'tyl would feel comfortable having so many Tok'ra here, so I ordered them to stay behind."

"And the other council members were okay with that?" Sam questioned.

"Not hardly," Jacob replied with a little smile. "She got an earful from them."

Aranae grinned. "I pulled rank, as you would say."

Jack smiled slightly. "Throwing your queenly weight around a bit?"

"Just a little."

Daniel was the one who made introductions, making a point of including both the symbiotes and hosts when introducing the Tok'ra to the Hak'tyl. Agreeing with his tactic, Selmak greeted the Hak'tyl, then Jacob did the same. Aranae, likewise, relinquished control to her host so that Fiala could greet the Hak'tyl personally. Having no prior experience talking to Tok'ra, seeing the symbiotes willingly give back control to their hosts had a big impact on Ishta and Mala.

The group went up to the briefing room.

"First of all, let me formerly welcome you to Earth and say that I hope we can reach an agreement that will benefit both you and the Tok'ra," General Hammond said to the two Hak'tyl women.

Ishta inclined her head once, then turned to the Tok'ra. "You are in need of Jaffa to carry your larvae, and we are in need of larvae for our children. These things cannot be denied. But I have concerns about accepting your proposal and what it would entail. Our movement, our very existence, depends on Moloc never finding out what we are doing. For this reason, we must take great care to work in secret. I am concerned that, through the Tok'ra, Moloc will learn of us."

"The Tok'ra must also work in secret," Selmak responded. "We lack the numbers to openly attack the Goa'uld, so, instead, we work mostly through infiltration and covert operations. We have been doing it that way for two thousand years, so we have gotten very good at keeping secrets."

"But what assurances can you give us that the Goa'uld will not accidentally learn of our existence through you?"

"Obviously, it would be impossible to give a one hundred percent guarantee. No one could. But we will do all we can to make sure that Moloc does not find out about you and what you are doing."

"You must consider something as well," Aranae said. "At the present time, we believe that the Goa'uld may not even know that Egeria is back and that the Tok'ra have a new queen. If they ever found out, both Egeria and I would be at great risk. The Goa'uld would want us both dead. So, you see, we are trusting an important secret to you just as you are to us, and if _our_ secret was revealed, it could endanger the future of our entire race."

Daniel spoke up, addressing the Hak'tyl. "The fact is that, at this point, the secrets have already been given away. The Tok'ra now know about your movement, and you now know about Aranae and Egeria. That can't be undone. The only things that the Tok'ra don't know are where your camp is and exactly how you operate. We're already in this thing."

"You are correct, of course," Ishta said. She returned her gaze to the Tok'ra. "How would you provide us with symbiotes?"

Jacob was the one who replied. "As you probably know, to reduce the risk of them dying, larvae are usually not put into Jaffa until they are several days old, so Aranae couldn't produce larvae for you on demand when you're in need of a few. Even if she spawned the same day that we got the message from you, you probably wouldn't get the larvae in time to save any children who have entered puberty. What we decided was that we would try to keep at least two or three larvae at the base at all times, though we're limited on how long we can keep them in a tank. In this way, there would seldom be a time that we didn't have some available."

Sam took over. "Because it's easier to contact us than the Tok'ra, when you need a symbiote, you would let us know, and we would pass on the request."

"Why could we not keep the larvae on Hak'tyl?" Mala asked. "Then there would be no need for us to contact you every time we are in need of one."

"Mostly, it's a matter of safety," Jacob answered. "If you had to suddenly move your camp or if some danger threatened it, the larvae would be at risk. There's also the fact that every time we had to exchange the larvae for newer one, it would require us coming there to do so."

"You must understand that for most of our existence, we have lived with the belief that a day would come when the Tok'ra would become extinct," Aranae explained. "We had no hope that we would get a new queen who could give us new generations. Because of this, every larva who is born is very important to us." Her eyes softened. "Every one of my children is precious to me."

"I understand," Ishta said. "We feel the same about every one of the children we save."

"We will do our best to keep a line of communication open between us and Earth at all times," Jacob told her. "We realize that time is of the essence once a Jaffa enters puberty."

"I know that this might muddy the waters a bit," Daniel said, "but there is an alternative in case of emergency."

"We have a drug called Tretonin that completely ends a Jaffa's need to carry a symbiote," Sam told the Hak'tyl. "Now, so far, it's only being used by two Jaffa, but they've had great success with it. If a larva couldn't be gotten to a child in time, she could be given Tretonin instead."

Ishta frowned. "She would only take this drug until a symbiote was available for her?"

"Um . . . no, she'd be on the drug permanently. We don't know what kind of reaction there would be to introducing a larva into a Jaffa who's on Tretonin. It could be fatal."

"But does this drug give the same benefits to a Jaffa as a symbiote does?" Mala asked. "Will it heal their injuries, increase their strength and longevity?"

Sam glanced briefly at Teal'c, then answered. "The Jaffa doesn't heal quite as fast, but, from what we know and have seen, in most other ways, it's a lot like having a symbiote, except that there's no longer any need to perform Kel'no'reem."

Ishta's expression was thoughtful. "I do not believe that this is something we have to concern ourselves with at this time." She looked at the Tok'ra. "As the leader of my people, I have often had to suffer the sorrow of losing one of our women in battle and, more than once, have watched a child die because we could not find a symbiote for her in time. What you offer would make that a thing of the past. I would not be a good leader if I said no. Therefore, I agree to your proposal."

More than one smile came to the faces of the people sitting around the table.

"We are delighted that you agree," Aranae said. "Are you in need of any larvae now? We presently have fifty who are ready to be put into Jaffa."

"There is one child who will be entering prata very soon, perhaps at any moment, and two others who will be doing so soon as well."

"Then we will be sure to have three set aside for you."

All the details were worked out, and the meeting came to an end.

As Ishta went to talk to Selmak and Aranae, Mala approached Egeria.

"You told us that you chose to remain human so that you and Daniel Jackson could be together," she said. "You must love him very much to sacrifice the long life you would have had as a symbiote."

Egeria smiled softly. "Yes, I do. He is the most important thing in my life. I fell in love with him the moment I first saw him, though it took months for me to recognize my feelings for what they were. Yes, it is true that I gave up a long life span to be with him, but I consider it to be worth the sacrifice. I already knew the pain of losing him, of living without him. The day he left was the saddest day of my life. At the time, I did not know that he was from the future, so I believed that he was out in the galaxy somewhere, and I longed every moment to see him again. When the day came that I could no longer hope that he was still alive, I grieved for him. To have been parted from him again would have been unbearable."

Mala looked over at Daniel, thinking that Egeria was very lucky to have gotten a second chance, something that she didn't get. "When I was a temple handmaiden, I fell in love with a young palace guard. We tried to keep our relationship a secret, for it was forbidden, but I became pregnant." She paused. "Moloc had my beloved executed and, on the day of her birth, sacrificed my daughter before my eyes. He let me live so that I could suffer with the grief of losing them."

Egeria rested a hand on the woman's arm, understanding her pain. "I am so sorry. I would happily kill Moloc with my own hands, if given the chance. I know well his cruelty."

Mala met Egeria's eyes. "I wish to have a Tok'ra larva. I do not want this Goa'uld within me a moment longer. I want the symbiote I carry to be one who will grow to fight against the Goa'uld."

Egeria smiled and nodded. "Come talk to Selmak and Aranae, then. They will be pleased."

When Mala repeated her request to the Tok'ra, they happily said that they could do the exchange right away. Realizing that, as the leader of the Hak'tyl, she needed to set an example for her people, Ishta asked for the same thing, then said that she would request that every Hak'tyl now carrying a symbiote have it exchanged for a Tok'ra.

It was decided that the exchange should take place on Hak'tyl, in front of everyone. Selmak and Aranae returned to the Tok'ra base to let the other council members know and to arrange to bring the tank of larvae to Hak'tyl.

Two hours later, Ishta and Mala returned to Hak'tyl with SG-1 and Egeria. With them were Selmak and Zen're, a Tok'ra who had a great deal of experience overseeing larva implantation into Jaffa. Between them they carried a tank teeming with infant symbiotes.

Mala mounted a horse and rode on ahead to tell all the Hak'tyl to gather at the edge of camp. By the time that the others got there, everyone was assembled. SG-1 couldn't help but notice that Neith was wearing a sour expression.

"Women and children of the Hak'tyl," Ishta said in a loud, clear voice. "For thirty years we have been fighting to save our sisters from Moloc's murderous decree. To preserve the lives of the children we rescued, it has been necessary for us to take symbiotes from other Jaffa. This has resulted in the deaths of many of us. No longer! These two before you," she gestured at the Tok'ra, "are of the Tok'ra, ones who have dedicated themselves to the destruction of all Goa'uld. Because of them and the Tau'ri, we now have a new source for symbiotes. These you see in the tank are the children of the Tok'ra queen, and they are being given to us freely so that we may carry them to maturity, when they will then be blended as one with willing hosts and take up the fight against the Goa'uld." Ishta lifted her head higher. "With this new source of symbiotes, I say to you now that no longer will I carry a spawn of my enemy. No longer will I have within my body a creature that bears nothing but evil in its heart."

With those words, Ishta reached into her larval pouch and pulled the symbiote out. Daniel winced as she took the squeaking creature between her hands and tore it in half. Throwing the dead body on the ground, she then turned to the tank and reached inside. Extracting one of the Tok'ra larvae, she held it high for everyone to see, then placed it against the opening of her pouch. It instinctively slipped inside.

It was then Mala's turn, who, after making a short statement, repeated what Ishta had done.

"Who else will rid their bodies of the evil creatures they carry and, instead, carry the children of a fellow enemy of the Goa'uld?" Ishta asked.

A woman with dark, curly hair stepped forward. "I will!"

Another woman stepped up. "As will I!"

A third woman took a step forward. "And I!"

Women kept coming forward until it was impossible to keep count. Among them were girls who had not had a symbiote for long, including Synak, the girl who carried the larvae that SG-1 witnessed being taken from a wounded Jaffa.

"This is fantastic," Sam said with a smile.

"Aranae's going to have to spawn again," Jacob murmured in a low voice. "We're not going to have enough."

Throughout it all, as one Hak'tyl after another came forward, Neith remained conspicuously silent, standing a little off to the side. Ishta walked up to her.

"What of you, Neith?"

The reddish-brown-haired Jaffa frowned. "Why should I exchange one symbiote for another that may be no better?"

Ishta's expression darkened. "Why do you cling to this belief that the Tok'ra are no different from the Goa'uld? They have two thousand years of history that proves otherwise. At the meeting I saw with my own eyes as the Tok'ra surrendered control of their bodies back to their hosts. That one there," she pointed at Sam's father, "is named Selmak, and his host is Jacob Carter, the father of Major Carter. I spoke to Jacob Carter for a short while, and he told me that becoming a Tok'ra was one of the wisest and most rewarding decisions he has ever made and that Selmak is closer to him than a brother. I also spoke to the Tok'ra queen, and I found her to be a woman of honor, strength and good character. There was no arrogance in her, no air of superiority. They are not like the Goa'uld, Neith. I am not asking that you trust them unquestioningly. I am only asking that you allow yourself to accept that they are not our enemies and could be our allies. They may even be able to help us achieve what we have long desired: the death of Moloc."

Neith looked over at the two Tok'ra, who were busy helping the Hak'tyl women exchange their Goa'uld symbiotes for Tok'ra larvae. There was now a pile of dead Goa'uld larvae on the ground, one that was growing rapidly.

"I suppose that if they planned to betray us, they would not be giving their young to us," she said a bit reluctantly.

"No, they would not, for they would know that their young would die with us."

Neith nodded once. "I will carry one of them."

Ishta smiled approvingly and rested her hand on Neith's shoulder. "I knew that you would make the right decision in time. Come, and we will have that evil creature removed from your body."

Neith was given one of the last larvae in the tank. The Tok'ra made sure to keep three for Nesa and the other two girls who were nearing puberty. Jacob told all of the Hak'tyl who didn't get one that they'd return in eight days with more. He then joined SG-1 and Egeria, who were standing off to the side, well away from the carnage of the slaughtered Goa'uld larvae.

Daniel glanced at the pile of carcasses. "I know that this was necessary and that, eventually, all those symbiotes would have been killed anyway, but it was kind of disconcerting watching them being killed like that. But then, that wasn't nearly as bad as watching Goa'uld eat live ones."

"Yuck," Jack uttered, making a face.

"Well, I, for one, couldn't be happier," Jacob said. "I don't think there's even one Hak'tyl who turned down the exchange."

Sam looked over at the woman. "They look happy."

"They no longer carry the spawn of the Goa'uld inside them," Teal'c stated. "They can be proud that they now nurture within their bodies symbiotes who are dedicated to the downfall of all Goa'uld, including Moloc."

"Yes, about that," Daniel said. "What chance is there that we could do something about him? The Hak'tyl are doing what they can to save babies from being killed, but they can't save them all."

Sam nodded. "Yeah, and it sickens me to think about what Moloc is doing. I asked Ishta if she wanted our help to do something about him, but she said that their priority was to get food and supplies for the camp, as well as weapons. She's afraid that Moloc may be too powerful to bring down, even with our help."

"What about that, Jacob?" Jack asked.

"Moloc is definitely powerful, and, from what we know, the Jaffa who are loyal to him serve him almost fanatically. We don't have a spy in his ranks because he has no Goa'uld serving him. He's too paranoid about one attempting a takeover."

"So, it would be tough to bring him down," Daniel surmised.

"Tough, yes, but perhaps not impossible."

"Yeah, but would the High Council agree to do it?" Jack asked.

"That I don't know, especially since every loyal Jaffa of Moloc's would then join the armies of some other Goa'uld, making them stronger. That's always a concern when a Goa'uld is killed."

"Yet word has it that there are many in Moloc's army who secretly long to be free," Teal'c said. "If he is destroyed, they can join the ranks of the rebel Jaffa and make us stronger."

"And I'd dearly love to see Moloc get what's coming to him," Jack declared. "If there's any Goa'uld that really needs killing, it's him."

Jacob nodded. "I have to agree. I'll bring it up to the council and see what they say. If nothing else, having access to Ishta's inside information on Moloc's operations will be invaluable to us. Bringing him down might not be something we could do right now, but, in a few months, with more intel on him, it might be doable."

Jacob and Zen're left a short while later. SG-1 decided to stay a bit longer to talk with Ishta about the intel she could provide on Moloc. Not really having anything to contribute regarding that, Daniel wandered around the camp. He noticed the girl named Nesa sitting on a log and went over to say hi.

"Hey there."

She looked up at him. "Hello."

"May I sit with you?"

Nesa nodded, and Daniel settled on the log.

"So, how are you doing?" he asked.

Nesa sighed. "I am tired."

Daniel looked at her more closely. "Are you feeling sick?"

"No, I am all right."

The archeologist nodded. "I'm Daniel."

Nesa studied his face. "What are those things on your face?"

Daniel touched his glasses. "Oh, these? They're called glasses. My eyes don't work as well as they should, and these help me see better."

"How do they work?"

Daniel took off the glasses and put them on Nesa.

"These make your sight worse," she said. She returned them to Daniel, who put them back on.

"Yeah, well, they work differently for different people. These were made especially for me."

"Could you not become a Tok'ra instead? Then the symbiote would fix your eyes."

"Um, yeah, but I think I'll stick with the glasses."

"You do not want to be a Tok'ra? Are they not your friends?"

"Oh, yes, they're definitely our friends," Daniel quickly confirmed. "Well, more like allies, although Selmak is a friend, too, because his host is Sam's father. It's just . . . complicated. If I became a Tok'ra I'd have to stay with them, and that's something I don't want to do."

Nesa nodded, understanding. "I would not wish to leave the Hak'tyl, although, sometimes, I think about having a husband and children. But I do not know what it would be like to have a husband. I have never even seen a man before you and your team came here."

Daniel smiled slightly. "Well, as you can see, we're not all that scary. In fact, a lot of us are really very nice."

"Do you have children?"

The archeologist shook his head. "No, but I would like to someday."

"Would you like a daughter?"

Into Daniel's mind came an image of a little girl with Egeria's long black hair and green eyes. It brought another smile to his lips. "Very much."

Nesa looked away and sighed again. "My father did not want me because I was female. When Neith, my sister, saved me, our father discovered what was happening, and Neith had to kill him."

Saddened and horrified, Daniel laid a hand on Nesa's back. "I'm so sorry, Nesa. But you need to understand that what is going on with Moloc is not the way it is everywhere. Most fathers love and cherish their daughters."

Nesa's eyes returned to him. "You're nice. Neith was not happy about you being brought here, but I am glad that you were. Now, we do not have to kill any more Jaffa to get symbiotes. I did not like that someone would have to die for me to have a symbiote."

"I wouldn't like that either, if I was in your place. Now, you'll get a Tok'ra symbiote, which will be much better."

They talked for a while longer, Nesa asking Daniel questions about himself and Earth. She was eventually called away by her sister. As she walked away, she glanced back at Daniel several times. The archeologist didn't notice, but someone else did. With a knowing smile, Egeria walked up and sat beside her lover.

"I saw you talking with Nesa."

"Yeah. She seems like a nice kid. She certainly appears to be lacking her sister's temper."

A mischievous little smile played around the corner of Egeria's lips. "She is young, but not so much a child anymore. I do believe that womanly feelings are stirring within her."

Daniel blinked and stared at her. "Uhhh . . . why do you say that?"

Egeria laughed lightly. "Ah, my Daniel. You can be so delightfully blind at times. You did not see how she was looking at you?"

"Um . . . no." He suddenly realized what she was implying. "You don't mean that she. . . ."

"I believe that you Tau'ri call it a crush."

Daniel's cheeks heated up. "No way."

"I am not mistaken in what I saw. I am especially qualified to recognize when a female likes you in that way. Of course, I can fully understand why she would."

Daniel ducked his head. "Oh, boy. Neith better not find out. She'd probably shoot me."

Egeria laughed again.

SG-1 and Egeria headed back to Earth a short while later. General Hammond was delighted with the news that all of the Hak'tyl wanted to carry Tok'ra symbiotes. He was filled in on the conversation with Jacob about the possibility of going after Moloc.

"I have to agree that to bringing him down would not only be a military victory, but would also be a big moral victory," the general said. "As a father and grandfather, I am appalled by what he is doing. That having been said, we would have to weigh the risks of going after him. If the Tok'ra feel that it's possible, then we can discuss how it could be done."

"Ishta is going to give us everything their intelligence network has dug up," Sam told him. "That will be a big help to us and the Tok'ra."

Egeria and all the members of SG-1 was starving by the time the debriefing was over and headed straight over to the commissary for lunch. The main topic of conversation was the Hak'tyl.

"So, T," Jack drawled. "That Ishta's quite a lady, isn't she."

"Indeed."

"I couldn't help but notice that she seems to be a big fan of yours. She called you a legend."

Teal'c frowned slightly. "She respects what I have done to help the Jaffa achieve freedom. Nothing more."

"Uh huh. All the same, I'm sure that she wouldn't mind you coming back there for a visit or two."

Daniel and Sam exchanged an amused glance, hiding their smiles. The major then turned back to Teal'c.

"Um, Teal'c, I was wondering why you didn't tell Ishta that you're on Tretonin when we were talking about it with her."

"If Ishta is to choose to allow some of her people to take Tretonin, she must be convinced that it will not lessen a Jaffa's strength and prowess. If she knew that I am taking the drug, from that day forward, she would look for weaknesses and may imagine ones that are not there. It is better that she does not know until she has seen that I am not weakened by no longer having a symbiote."

"Makes sense to me," Jack said. "She'll see that you're the same rough, tough Jaffa that your legend says you are, and then you can tell her."

The next day, the SGC received an urgent message from the Hak'tyl that Nesa had collapsed and was in immediate need of a symbiote. The Tok'ra were contacted right away. SG-1 met Selmak and Zen're at the gate on Hak'tyl and took them straight to the desperately ill girl. Neith sat at her sister's side, her expression filled with worry.

SG-1 watched as Nesa's pouch was prepared for its first inhabitant, Daniel and Sam with interest, Jack with a grossed-out look on his face. The implantation went quickly and without incident, and, within a few minutes, Nesa's strength returned, the flush of fever fading from her cheeks.

"That didn't take long," Sam remarked.

"It usually doesn't if both the larva and the child are otherwise healthy," Jacob told her. He looked at Neith. "She'll be fine now."

"Thank you." The woman's gaze went to the humans and the Tok'ra. "In the beginning, I did not want any of you here. I did not trust you and feared that your knowledge of the Hak'tyl would endanger us. But you have saved my sister, and for that I will always be grateful. I know now that you are not threats to us but valued allies. Thank you for myself, my sister, and all of our people."


	27. Chapter 27

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

The next day, a couple of Tok'ra scientists arrived to study the Ancient repository and see if they and Sam could find a way to download the information into some kind of storage device. Daniel was called in to lend a hand, though he ended up feeling pretty useless as the others talked about things that were way over his head. He began wandering around the room, looking at this and that. His attention returned to the conversation when the others began talking about whether or not only people like Daniel and Jack could trigger an interface download and if there would be some way to safely use that to turn on whatever circuits opened the flow of information. Thinking of something, he stepped forward to mention it, but the words died on his lips as his mind was abruptly filled with a scene that made him freeze in shock.

_"Why did you pick me, Oma?"_ he heard himself ask in the vision. _"Why did you come to me when I was dying and offer to help me ascend. When I asked you before, you didn't really answer. Was it just because we met on Kheb? Please give me a straight answer."_

_"When I saw you on Kheb, I knew that you had the ability to travel the path to ascension. With time and patience, any human who is willing to open their mind can be helped upon that path, but a rare few have the ability to achieve ascension with only a little guidance. You were such a one, Daniel."_

_"Why? Okay, so I admit that I'm more open-minded than some people, but there's got to be more to it than that."_

_Oma smiled. "You are special in many ways, Daniel, more so than you could know."_

_"What are you saying? That I was born different in some way?"_

_"Your questions will all be answered in time, Daniel. Simply know that you are a rare individual and always have been."_

"Daniel, what's wrong?"

Sam's concerned voice jolted Daniel from the vision that he realized was a memory from when he was ascended. He blinked and stared at Sam with a dazed expression. Worried, Sam came up to him. She laid a hand on his arm.

"Daniel, are you all right? You were totally zoned out there for a minute."

"Sam, I just got back a memory from when I was ascended."

"What?" The major got excited. "What did you remember?"

"Oma and I were talking. I asked her why she chose to help me ascend, and she told me. . . ."

"What? What did she tell you?"

"I have to go. There's something I need to check on."

Before Sam could question him further, he was out the door and heading for the elevator. He went up one level to his office. At his computer, he accessed the information downloaded from the lab computers. All of the information had been put on the base servers, though it had been necessary to dramatically increase the hard drive space to do so. He went straight to the stuff he'd found about the Ancients. There had been so much stuff about them that he'd had it all downloaded without going through the specific topics first. Now, he was hoping that there would be something in there that would answer an important question.

For the next two hours, Daniel searched through the information, skimming over the text on the screen. At last, he found something. His excitement growing, he continued his search, going off in a different direction. The time for lunch came and went without him even noticing. When the phone rang, he picked it up with a slight feeling of irritation.

"You are missing lunch again, Daniel," said Egeria's voice in a scolding tone.

"Oh." The archeologist looked at his watch. "I'm sorry. I can't stop what I'm doing. I found something really important in the Ancient knowledge, and I need to pursue it."

"What did you find?"

"I'll tell you everything later."

"All right, but please try to get a little something to eat this afternoon."

"I will. I'll talk to you later."

Hanging up the phone, Daniel returned his full attention to the screen. Another hour and a half had passed when he found something else that had him leaning forward in his chair, carefully reading every word on the screen.

Daniel leaned back in his chair, thinking about the significance of what he'd just learned. He contacted the general's aide to say that a meeting needed to be called with the rest of his team.

Half a hour later, everyone was assembled in the briefing room.

"Doctor Jackson, you said that you found something in the information downloaded from the computers in the Ancient lab," Hammond said.

"Yes, sir. This morning, I suddenly recovered a memory from when I was ascended. Oma and I were in a conversation, and she hinted that there was something different about me, something that had made her believe that I could ascend with less effort than the average human. I decided to look at the stuff we downloaded from the computers, specifically some information about the Ancients themselves, and I found something that answers a few questions we had. According to what I found, the Ancients performed a bit of genetic engineering on themselves. They added a special gene that would act as a . . . a kind of key for operating Ancient technology. Anyone who didn't have the gene wouldn't be able to operate devices that were programmed to work only in the presence of someone who did."

"Then you're saying that you and I have that gene?" Jack asked.

"Well, you probably do, but I don't know about me."

"But if the gene didn't occur naturally, how could any of us have it?" Sam asked. "The human race that's on this planet now is not descended from the Ancients."

"Well, I'm no geneticist, but there's only two ways that I can think of, either the Ancients played with the genes of our ancestors, too, or some of them bred with some of us, and the gene was passed down. I mean, there are still so many things we don't know about what they did here on Earth. We don't even know when the last of them left for good or died out. There's something else I found as well. I ran across some notes regarding their research into ascension. From what the notes say, it appears that they were exploring two different ways to attain ascension, the Oma way, which is a more spiritual approach, and through purely scientific methods involving artificial genetic advancement and technology. One thing in particular caught my attention. During their research on the second way, they discovered something, that a few rare individuals were born different, their brains genetically advanced enough that they were closer to being able to achieve ascension than the average Ancient. They recognized that this might give them the key to figuring out how to make it possible for all Ancients to ascend. Unfortunately, the notes end there, and I couldn't find anything else about their research.

"Now, if some of the Ancients were born with this rare genetic advancement, then it stands to reason that some of us may as well. After all, they were basically human, just way farther along their evolutionary path than we are. Oma told me that there are a few people who have the ability to achieve ascension much more easily, and she seemed to be saying that I was one of them. Maybe she meant that I was born with that same kind of genetic advancement that made my brain a bit different than normal."

"Daniel, we've _always_ known that your brain isn't normal," Jack remarked. "So, what's the surprise there?"

Ignoring the comment, the archeologist continued. "I think we need to pursue this. It might give us what we need to figure out how they managed to ascend."

"Daniel, you can't tell me that you want a bunch of scientists poking around inside your head."

"No, Jack, I don't, I mean not physically. But there could be some scans or . . . or something. Or maybe we could contact the Asgard. They're the ones who discovered that you're genetically different."

Jack's eyes narrowed. "Daniel, what's really behind this? It has something to do with that damn repository, doesn't it. If you think that some difference in your brain would enable you to take the whole download without it killing you, then you can just get that right out if your head. You're not sticking your head in that thing. Period."

"No, Jack, I know that, even if I'm right, I couldn't possibly survive a complete download, but what if I could manage to access and understand the knowledge more fully before I was overwhelmed by it? We know that the Asgard can remove the knowledge. They did it with you. If we had them standing by—"

"No."

"Jack."

"No! I don't care if we do have the Asgard standing by. We are not going to play with your life!"

"Doctor Jackson," General Hammond said gently. "I can appreciate your desire to retrieve what's in that repository, but Colonel O'Neill is right. I could not allow you to put your life at risk to get it. Major Carter and the Tok'ra scientists are studying the repository, searching for a way to download the information. Just let them do their job."

"And what if they can't find a way? That repository might give us what we need to find the Lost City."

"We will cross that bridge if and when we come to it. Now, if you have nothing further to add, I'll be calling this meeting to an end. I will, of course, want a written report on what you found."

Daniel paused, then said, "Yes, sir."

Back in his office, Daniel knew it was only a matter of time before Jack came marching in there to rake him over the coals. It took five minutes.

"Do you have a death wish?" the irate colonel asked. "Because that's what I'm starting to think."

"I just think that this is important."

"Important enough to risk having your brain totally scrambled by that thing and dying?"

"Like I said, if the Asgard were here to extract the knowledge before it was too late, there wouldn't be any risk of me dying. You were perfectly okay afterwards, no residual effects."

Jack stared at the younger man intently. "Daniel, you need to give up this obsession about that knowledge."

"I'm not obsessed."

"Yes, you are. If you weren't, you would not be seriously considering this. Trust me. I know about obsession. I've had first-hand experience with it. I know how it can take control of you."

Daniel turned away. Was he obsessed? Had he lost the ability to think about this logically?

"Daniel, I understand why you want that knowledge," Jack said more softly. "You had it, and it was taken away from you. It makes sense that you'd want it back. But putting yourself at risk isn't the way."

Daniel spun around to glare at him. "Jack, this isn't some selfish pursuit of knowledge. It's more than that! I want what that knowledge can give us, ways to put an end to the Goa'uld, things that could vastly improve life for humanity. Don't you get that?"

"Oh, I get it, Daniel, but it makes no difference. I don't want you bringing this up again, because, no matter how many times you do, you're going to get the same answer."

Daniel looked away. He'd already known that Jack would be against this.

Jack studied the younger man's face. "You look tired. When's the last time you took a day off?"

"Um, before the stuff with the Ashrak."

"That was almost two weeks ago. And when's the last time that you took more than a couple of days off?"

Daniel thought about it. "I can't remember."

"Then it's been too long. I want you to take four days off, starting tomorrow."

Daniel turned around. "Jack, I can't take that much time off. What if—"

"Aht! No excuses. You'll take the time off even if I have to take away your keycard and tell the guards at the checkpoints not to let you in. And if you keep arguing, I'll make it a week, which I should anyway."

"But what if Sam and the Tok'ra need me to translate something?"

"If it's all that important, then you can come back and do whatever they need you to do."

The archeologist stared at the colonel narrowly. "You want to get me away from the repository. What do you think I'm going to do, sneak into Sam's lab some night and interface with it?"

"No, even you wouldn't do something that foolish. You know that I'd kill you if the download didn't do the job for me. I just want you to get away for a while and get your head on straight. Go take Egeria someplace nice and have some fun. Kick back, relax. I know that you and relaxation don't generally go together in the same sentence, but I bet you could do it, if you really tried." Jack smiled slightly. "And I bet Egeria could help."

Recognizing that he didn't have any hope of getting out of the enforced leave, Daniel stopped arguing.

"If I have no choice but to take this leave," he said, "then I have a lot of work to get done today."

Picking up on Daniel's not-so-subtle hint that he wanted Jack to take a hike, the colonel left the office. He went to see Hammond and told him about Daniel's leave.

The general nodded. "I think it will do him some good. These past few months have been very busy ones." Hammond studied his second-in-command. "You're worried about him."

"Yes, I am. In these years I've known him, he's gone on a lot of crusades. Sometimes, I think it's genetically programmed into him. But I've never seen him like this before. No, I take that back. I have seen it one other time, when he was willing to risk being trapped forever on Heliopolis so that he could study that universal language thing. He needs to get away for a while and regain his perspective."

* * *

When Daniel told Egeria that he'd been given four days off and that she had, too, he didn't tell her the whole reason why, only saying that Jack thought he needed some time off to relax. He didn't like keeping secrets from her, but he knew how she'd react if she found out what he wanted to do. He figured that he might have to tell her eventually, but the last thing he wanted now was to spend the next four days with a woman who was mad at him.

Since they only had four days, and Daniel didn't want to go too far in case he was needed back on the base, he decided that they should stick to doing things within the state. When he suggested to Egeria that they go to Mesa Verde and explained to her what it was, she eagerly agreed.

From the moment they arrived at the Anasazi ruins, Egeria was fascinated by the architecture and the culture that built it. Daniel kicked into full-blown archeologist mode and was telling her everything he knew. After a while, they had picked up a small following of tourists, who trailed them all around the ruins, listening to Daniel impart all kinds of interesting facts and asking him several questions, which he generously answered. Egeria was both amused and pleased by this and couldn't help but smile. She could see how much Daniel loved to share knowledge and that he was having a good time.

They returned to the ruins the next day, but, this time, Daniel kept his voice lower when explaining things, deciding that he wanted to share the time only with Egeria. They headed back for home late that afternoon.

The next day was spent doing things in Denver, culminating in a romantic dinner and dancing. The day after that, Daniel's last day off, they didn't go anywhere at all, spending quite a bit of the time in bed. When they weren't there, they were playing board games, making cookies, or cuddling on the couch in front of the TV. By the end of that last day, Daniel admitted to himself that he really had needed this. And it had been wonderful to spend all that uninterrupted time with Egeria. In fact, he was now wishing that Jack _had_ made him take a full week off. He and Egeria would definitely have to start planning that trip to Rome soon.

It wasn't long after Daniel's arrival on base the next morning that Jack came sauntering into the archeologist's office.

"So, how did you enjoy your time off?"

"It was fun. Egeria and I had a good time."

"That's good. See? It didn't kill you to get away from work for a few days."

"I didn't think it would, Jack. We've just been really busy around here." He waved at the pile of papers on his desk. "And, as you can see, I am busy again."

"Yes. Well, I guess I'll let you get to it, then." Jack hesitated. "So, are things all straight in your head now?"

Daniel hesitated. He wasn't going to lie and tell Jack that he no longer had any thoughts about interfacing with the repository. The four days away didn't remove that desire.

"You don't have to worry, Jack. I wouldn't interface with it without permission from General Hammond. I wouldn't have done that anyway, leave or no leave. And I'm not going to push for it anymore."

"I guess that's as much as I can expect from you."

After Jack had left, Daniel went to Sam's lab to see how things were going.

"Hey," she greeted. "Welcome back. Did you guys have fun?"

"Yes, we did." Daniel walked up to the repository. An access panel was open, and wires were attached to some of the components inside. "So, how's it going?"

"I'm afraid that we hit a roadblock. We discovered that there are some safeguards in place to prevent exactly what it is that we're trying to do. I guess it makes sense that they'd want to guard this knowledge like they did the stuff in that lab. They wouldn't want just anyone to have access to it. I'm pretty sure now that the download wouldn't work for anyone except people like you and the colonel."

Daniel nodded. "Which also makes sense. So, what does this mean? You're not going to be able to download the stuff?"

"No, we're still trying. It's just taking some time to get around the safeguards."

"Where are the Tok'ra?"

"They went back to the base to get some other equipment that they thought might help. I expect them back tomorrow."

"I'm assuming that you did make sure that it wasn't their presence that was blocking your ability to retrieve the data."

"Yes, I've been trying since I got here this morning, and I'm still having no luck." Sam paused. "Um, Daniel. About what you said at the meeting. . . ."

"I've already gotten an earful from Jack, Sam, so you can spare the lecture. The four days off were Jack's way of making me get my head on straight, as he put it."

"It's not that I don't understand why you'd want to do it, but it would be just too dangerous, even if we did have the Asgard standing by. And there's no guarantee that you'd be able to access the knowledge any better than the colonel did."

"I know, but look at what we gained while he had it. He gave us a whole bunch of new gate addresses, a new way to calculate planetary distances, that power booster, detailed info on the DHD and, most important of all, put us in contact with the Asgard. I can't help but wonder what other things we could gain from doing it again."

Sam looked at him closely. "Does Egeria know that you want to do this?"

"No. Since it's probably not going to happen, there's no reason to tell her."

The look Sam gave him told Daniel that she didn't agree with him. Ignoring the look, he returned his gaze to the repository. "I wonder if you'd have any better luck while I'm here."

Sam shook her head. "I already tried while Colonel O'Neill was here, and it made no difference. I have to believe that there is a way around the safeguards. I just haven't found it yet. I'm just worried that Area 51 is going to get impatient and start demanding that they get a crack at it."

"How could they hope to have any better luck than you and the Tok'ra?"

"Oh, you'd be surprised. Some of them have pretty inflated egos."

Daniel returned to his office and dug into the pile of work on his desk. He made sure to break for lunch and joined Egeria for the meal. As they ate, the former Tok'ra queen chatted about their short vacation. She had very much enjoyed the time with Daniel and hoped that they would soon be able to go on a much longer one.

As Egeria talked, Daniel started to feel guilty, the secret he was keeping from her weighing on his conscience. The dark-haired woman finally noticed his distraction and asked him what was wrong. Several seconds passed before he replied.

"Um . . . I have something to confess to you, but I know you're going to be mad about it."

Egeria frowned. "Daniel, did you get injured again?"

"No, no. I'm fine. This is something else."

"What?"

"I'll, uh, tell you this evening."

Egeria studied him closely. "All right."

Daniel was nervous for the rest of the day, not looking forward to Egeria's reaction to what he had to tell her.

He joined her in his quarters after dinner. He remained standing as she took a seat on the bed.

"Okay, first of all, I want to promise you that I wouldn't have done anything unless I got permission," he said. He told Egeria about the memory he'd regained and what he'd learned from the stuff they'd gotten from the lab computers. After a long pause, he then told her the rest of it.

"You requested that you be allowed to interface with the repository?" Egeria asked in a tone of voice that made no secret of what she thought of that.

"Well, no, I didn't actually request it. I just threw the idea out there."

"But you would be risking your life."

"There would be risk involved, but if we contacted the Asgard beforehand, they could extract the knowledge before it went too far."

"But there would still be a risk," Egeria said in a hard, angry tone. "How can you care so little about your own safety, Daniel?"

"It isn't that I don't care about my safety, Egeria. I just. . . . There are things that are more important than my personal safety, and gaining access to what's in that repository is one of them. It could give us everything we need to defeat the Goa'uld."

"You speak of 'could', and 'maybe', and 'might', but the truth is that you do not know, you _cannot_ know, if it would give us anything that would help at all. You could be risking your life for nothing! I know that you may someday die on a mission. I know that you could lose your life in this fight. I accept that. But to risk your life for what you may or may not learn from that repository is _not_ something I can accept."

"Egeria—"

"No! You will speak of this no further!"

Before Daniel could say anything else, Egeria strode out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Too angry to go to her quarters, she went down to the gym. She hadn't spent any time there before now, but she had heard that some people exercised to cool off when they were angry, and that was definitely something she needed.

She spied Teal'c on one of the benches and went over to him. She stared at the various barbells and other exercise equipment with a frown.

"Are you in need of assistance, Egeria?" Teal'c asked.

"Yes. Please show me how to use these things."

Surprise made one of the Jaffa's eyebrows elevate. Nevertheless, he picked up one of the lighter barbells and instructed her on the proper way to do arm curls. He watched as she performed the exercise, a look of intense concentration on her face. Once she had done the ten reps on each arm that he'd suggested, she handed it back to him.

"Show me how to do something else."

Teal'c took Egeria over to one of the machines and showed her how to do leg curls. After that came a couple of other exercises. He told her that her muscles would be sore if she did too much, but he could see that she was determined to keep going. Finally, he decided to find out what was going on.

"In my experience with women, I have determined that, when one is angry, it is usually because of something that her mate has done or said. Therefore, I am assuming that Daniel Jackson is the source of your anger."

Egeria stopped what she was doing and stared at him. "You know of his suggestion that he interface with the Ancient repository?"

"Yes, I was present at the meeting when he spoke of it. You are angry that he would consider doing something that would endanger his life."

"Yes. In the months that I came to know Daniel on Estrania, I saw how he was willing to risk his life for the sake of others, but this is pure foolhardiness!"

"I agree that to do what he suggests would be unwise, but this is not the first time he has chosen a similar course of action. Have you heard of the discovery we made on a world that was once a meeting place of the Asgard, the Ancients, the Nox, and the Furlings?"

"No. I know of the Asgard and Ancients, and Daniel has told me that the time device on Estrania was created by the Furlings, but I have no knowledge of the Nox."

Teal'c briefly told her about the people they first encountered on P3X-774. "Long ago, the Nox, Asgard, Ancients, and Furlings gathered on a world that we call Heliopolis. On that world was a device that Daniel Jackson determined was a book written in a true universal language that used holographic representations of the elements, such as oxygen, nitrogen, and helium. He believed that the book might contain information of great significance. Unfortunately, the building in which it resided was unstable and gradually falling into the sea. While we were there, the DHD, which was already damaged, was lost. To power the Stargate, we devised a way to use lightning from the storm that was raging. But Daniel Jackson did not want to leave. He wished to remain so that he could study the knowledge in the device."

Egeria was surprised. "But he may have been trapped there."

"Yes, this he knew and accepted. He believed that the knowledge was important enough to take the risk. Daniel Jackson is a man of great passion and conviction, and his desire for knowledge is unquenchable. When he wholly believes in a course of action, he will not waver from it. His determination and perseverance have saved many lives, but it has also endangered his life many times."

"I know of his self-sacrifice, Teal'c. I have heard of some of the ways that he has risked his life for the welfare of others. But this is not the same."

"Is it not? I believe that it is and that it is connected to his time as an ascended being. When he was ascended, he possessed the knowledge of the Ancients, yet he was denied the ability to use that knowledge to help others. He was forbidden to use his knowledge and power even to help individuals who were his friends. Now, a device that contains all that knowledge is in our possession, and Daniel Jackson is determined that, this time, it will be used to aid humanity. If it means endangering his life for that to be done, then he believes that it is a small price to pay."

Egeria let Teal'c's words sink in. Daniel had talked very little about the year that he was one of the Ascended, mostly because he had almost no memories from that time. How would _she_ feel if she had vast power and knowledge, yet was not allowed to help even one person with it?

Thanking Teal'c, Egeria returned to Daniel's quarters. She stood before the door for a moment, then knocked. A few seconds passed before he answered. He was clearly surprised to see her.

"I didn't think you'd be wanting to see me any time soon," he said.

"May I enter?"

Daniel stood back and let her in. He shoved his hands deep into his pockets, his gaze on the floor. He gave a low sigh.

"I'm sorry that I made you angry. I know that you don't understand why I—"

"I _do_ understand, Daniel."

Startled blue eyes met Egeria's. "Y-you do?"

"Yes. I did not when I left, but I saw Teal'c, and he told me some things. You have spoken very little about your time as one of the Ascended."

"Because I don't remember much. Up until a few days ago, there were really only two incidents that I remembered completely. The rest has been just bits and pieces. I know of some other things that happened through mission reports and what Jack, Sam and Teal'c told me."

"You were not allowed to help anyone, not even your friends."

Daniel's gaze fell away from her. "The Ascended have rules against any kind of interference."

"Did you know that when you chose to ascend?"

"I . . . I knew that they had rules. I knew that one of them was punished for interfering in the fate of a civilization and that Oma was an outcast for helping people ascend. But I didn't know that the Ascended weren't allowed to help anyone at all, that, if I became one, I'd had to stand back and watch terrible things happen and be unable to do anything at all to help. If I had known. . . ."

"You would not have ascended?" Egeria asked gently.

"I don't know. I thought that ascending would be a way for me to do more, that it would finally give me a way to . . . to make a real difference. But, instead, I had to impotently stand by as people I cared about suffered. One of the only concrete memories I have is of Bra'tac, a Jaffa friend of ours, and Teal'c's son, Rya'c, being captured by enemy Jaffa. I knew what would happen to them, and I wanted to help them, but I couldn't. I remember how angry and helpless I felt."

Egeria heard the pain in his voice and went to him. She guided him to the bed and sat beside him.

"There is more," she guessed.

"A few months after I ascended, Jack was captured by Ba'al, who tortured him over and over again, sometimes to death. Jack would then be put in a sarcophagus, and the whole thing would start over again. I came to Jack in his cell. He wanted me to break him out, but I told him that I couldn't. Instead, I tried to encourage him to ascend. He refused. I don't remember any of this, and I hope to God that I never do, but every time I think about the fact that I was there and couldn't lift a finger to stop what was happening to him, it makes me sick. Jack said that he thinks I did help him, that I managed to sneak around the rules by telling Teal'c while he was in Kel'no'reem that if they got one of the other Goa'uld to attack Ba'al's stronghold from orbit, it would give Jack a chance to escape. I don't know if he's right about that."

Daniel paused. Egeria could tell that there was something more, so she remained silent.

"Abydos was destroyed because of me," he said in a low, anguished voice. "I found out that Anubis was going there to get the Eye of Ra, the last piece he needed to complete a super weapon. I told Jack about it, and SG-1 went there. I couldn't directly interfere, but I helped them find a hidden chamber that I had always suspected existed. We found the eye there and a tablet speaking about a lost city of the Ancients where we could find powerful weapons. The situation was getting pretty tense. A huge force gathered by the other Goa'uld had arrived to battle Anubis, and there was a big danger that Anubis would attack Abydos. Above all, I knew that the information about the lost city couldn't be allowed to fall into his hands. I'd apparently made a deal with him that, if he got the eye, he'd leave Abydos alone and would let SG-1 go free, so I told Jack to give him the eye, that I'd make sure Anubis kept his bargain." Daniel shook his head, the sheen of tears in his eyes. "I was such an idiot. I don't know what happened after that. I'm guessing that I confronted Anubis, and the others prevented me from stopping him. He fired the super weapon at the planet and destroyed everything."

"Oh, my Daniel. I am so sorry."

"The only good thing that came out of it was that Oma ascended all of the Abydonians. I don't know if it was out of a sense of guilt or if she did it for me or for some other reason." Daniel got to his feet. "I know that the Ancients must have a reason for their rules, but I think about all the good that they could do in the universe with their knowledge and power, all the good _I_ could have done, and it makes me so angry."

Egeria stood as well and wrapped an arm around his waist. "And that is why you want that knowledge in the repository. You want to use it to do what you were not allowed to do when you were ascended."

Daniel said nothing. He only stared at the floor.

Egeria rested her head on his shoulder. "I wish that knowledge could be given back to you without it risking your life. Is there not still hope that Samantha and the Tok'ra can retrieve it?"

"Yeah, they're still trying. They found out that there are safeguards to prevent the stuff being downloaded, but they are attempting to bypass those. If anyone can do it, Sam can."

Egeria looked up into his face. "I am sorry that I became so angry with you. I love you, and I do not like it when you disregard your own safety."

Daniel wrapped his arms around her. "I know, Egeria. I understand. I already figured that you'd be mad at me, which is why I didn't want to tell you."

"Why _did_ you tell me? I may not have learned of it if you did not."

"I felt guilty about keeping secrets from you."

Egeria smiled and kissed him softly. She ran a fingertip around the edge of his lips. "I have heard of a custom of the Tau'ri."

"Oh? What custom is that?"

"It is regarding a couple making up after a fight."

Daniel began to smile. "Ah, _that_ custom. Yes, that's a particular favorite of mine." The smile became a grin. "So . . . do you want to make up?"

"Very much so," Egeria replied in a sultry tone before pulling Daniel's mouth back down to hers. He lifted her up and carried her to the bed, where they very quickly stripped each other of their clothes. It did not take long for them to become fully aroused.

They rode out their passion with the same quiet intensity that they always did when making love on base, not wanting others to hear. As their climaxes struck, they muffled each other's cries with a kiss.

The lovers continued holding each other as their bodies cooled and their pulses slowed.

"I believe that this Tau'ri custom will be one of my favorites as well," Egeria remarked.

A laugh burst out of Daniel. "Well, I'm hoping that we won't have a reason for it all that often. Having you mad at me is not pleasant."

"Then I will strive not to get angry with you too terribly often."

"Thanks. I appreciate that."


	28. Chapter 28

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Daniel was mostly just poking at his breakfast the next morning, his thoughts still on the repository. After brief attempts to draw him into the conversation, the others at the table chose to let Daniel be, though Egeria exchanged glances with the archeologist's teammates more than once. She knew that he still wanted to take the download, but she also knew that he wouldn't do it unless given permission by General Hammond.

Daniel hadn't been in his office for very long when he was visited by Teal'c.

"I'm guessing that this is about the repository," he said. "I was wondering when you were going to give your opinion on this whole thing. I already know what Jack, Sam and Egeria think."

"They do not wish you to interface with the device because of the danger it would pose to you. You, however, feel that the benefits we may gain would be worth the risk."

Daniel nodded. "It's not like it would be that much of a risk if Thor was here to remove the knowledge before it killed me. Jack was all right afterwards."

"I am not aware of all that was transpiring within O'Neill's brain when he was carrying the Ancient knowledge, but it would seem to me that you must not assume that because he suffered no permanent ill effects, neither would you."

Daniel thought about that. "You're probably right, but I still can't help but think that it's worth the risk."

Teal'c looked at him closely. "Would you believe it to be worth the risk for someone else?"

Daniel's eyes met his. "You're asking if I think it would be worth it to have Jack do it again."

"Or someone else whom we had reason to believe would be capable of the interface." Teal'c's gaze sharpened. "If Egeria had the ability, would you allow her to do it?"

"Absolutely not," was Daniel's instinctive reply. Seeing the slight smile on the Jaffa's face, the archeologist sighed. "I fell right into that one, didn't I. Okay, so I admit that my opinion would be different if it was someone I cared about who'd be doing it. I really wouldn't want Jack, or Egeria, or somebody else taking the chance."

"Then I believe that you must . . . put yourself in their shoes, Daniel Jackson."

"It's not that I don't understand why they feel that way, Teal'c. I _do_ understand. I just believe that the risk I'd be taking is worth it for what we might gain. So, what do _you_ think? There have been a lot of times when you've taken big personal risks for things that you knew might not pan out. When you rebelled against the Goa'uld, you knew that you'd be fighting a battle in which the odds would be against you."

"This is true. Sometimes, it is necessary to take great risks on the chance that great rewards will be reaped. However, there were times when my actions were foolhardy, driven more by emotion than clear thinking."

"So, you think that I'm being foolhardy?" Daniel asked.

"No, I do not believe that you are, Daniel Jackson. However, I do believe that logic is not the only thing that is driving you."

Daniel's eyes fell away from his. "Because of what happened when I was ascended. Egeria told me that she talked to you after our argument, and you said something about my ascension."

"You still bear the guilt of what transpired during that time because you were not allowed to interfere. You now wish to do what you were unable to do then."

"Yes. Yes, I do. I know that it isn't going to make up for the things that happened, the things I couldn't prevent. It isn't going to bring Abydos back. It isn't going to reverse what Jack went through. But . . . but it might give us something that would help fight the Goa'uld. It might give us the chance to use some of that knowledge to help humanity and the rest of the galaxy. I can't put my own welfare above that."

"This I understand . . . and with which I agree."

Shocked, Daniel stared at him. "You mean to say that you're on my side?"

"I am not taking sides, Daniel Jackson. I merely understand that the welfare of a single individual must sometimes be placed at risk in order to achieve a worthy goal. O'Neill, Egeria and Major Carter also understand this and have risked their own lives to achieve something of significance. I believe that if what we would gain was certain, if we knew that what you could provide us would be of great value in our battle against the Goa'uld or in the defense of Earth, their arguments would not be so adamantly against this course of action."

"It's because there's a big chance that I could be taking a risk for nothing. What I get from the download might not help us at all. I do know that it might not do any good, Teal'c. Jack really wasn't in control most if the time. We're probably lucky that he gave us so much stuff that _was_ a big help. Whether or not I'm right about what Oma said about me, I know that I might not be any more capable of sorting through the knowledge and giving us something important. But I'm not going to know for sure unless I'm given the chance."

Teal'c nodded ever so slightly. "If Major Carter and the Tok'ra are unable to obtain access to the knowledge in another way and you again approach General Hammond about being allowed to interface with the repository, I will not stand against it."

Daniel gave him a look of gratitude. "Thanks, Teal'c."

The Jaffa exited the room, leaving Daniel alone with his thoughts.

* * *

It was a little after nine a.m. when the Tok'ra scientists returned, bringing with them some equipment that they hoped would succeed in getting them past the safeguards.

Daniel came to Sam's lab and watched them hook up the stuff. After a while, a little frown formed on his face.

"Sam?" he finally said.

She glanced up at him. "Yeah?"

"Aren't there computers that, if you breech their security, they're programmed to delete everything to prevent the information from falling into the wrong hands?"

"Yes, some systems with sensitive information are set up that way." Sam studied him. "You're thinking that the repository might have something like that?"

"Well, I was just thinking that the Ancients clearly didn't want that knowledge being accessed by anyone who wasn't supposed to have it. They must have realized that, eventually, someone would come along who was smart enough to get around the safeguards. If I was them, I'd program it to delete the stuff if someone got through."

Sam frowned and stared at the repository. "There would be no way for us to tell. But you're right. That's what I'd do, too."

"Yet the fact remains that, if we do not get past the safeguards, we will be unable to retrieve the data," said one of the Tok'ra. "I believe that we should take the risk."

"I can't make that call. We need to talk to General Hammond."

Sam, Daniel and the Tok'ra went to the general's office, where Daniel explained his concerns. The Tok'ra both believed that they should proceed.

"Major Carter, what is your recommendation?" Hammond asked.

"I honestly don't know, sir. If we stop what we're doing, it's unlikely that we'll get anything off that repository, but if Daniel's suspicion is right and we trigger a program that deletes everything, there will be no hope at all. We'll lose everything with no chance of getting it back."

"Um, okay, I know we talked about this when we found the lab, and we decided against it," Daniel said, "but since we're at a stalemate here, maybe we should consider contacting the Asgard. They may have a way of retrieving the stuff that would be safe. If they refuse, then we're no worse off than we are now."

Sam nodded. "I have to agree. That's probably the best thing to do."

The general thought about it for a moment. "Very well. I will have a call sent out to the Asgard. Until we hear from them, leave things as they are. Do not make any further attempts to retrieve the data."

"Yes, sir."

Since there was no telling how long it would take the Asgard to respond, the Tok'ra returned to their base. SG-1 and Egeria discussed everything over lunch.

"I bet the Asgard can get that stuff off of it," Jack said.

"They probably can, but will they be willing to give it to us?" Daniel responded. "Recently, they've been willing to give us some things, but they're still holding back on big stuff, especially any kind of weapon. They might think that what's in that repository is too much for us to have. That's what we were afraid they'd say about the stuff in the lab, although, looking back on it now, there probably wasn't anything on those computers that they'd have considered to be too dangerous for us."

"Well, I guess we'll find out when we talk to them," Sam said.

Thor arrived the following morning. He was told about the repository and asked if it was possible for the Asgard to retrieve the data.

"Yes, we have already downloaded a portion of the data from the Ancient Library of Knowledge."

That surprised everyone.

Sam was the one to respond first. "You have? When was that?"

"Many years ago. If you are intending to do the same, I must tell you that your efforts would be futile. The Ancients programmed into each repository a complex network of safeguards that prevents tampering. It took some time for us to bypass it."

"Well, we were kind of hoping you'd help us with that," Jack said.

"Even if the Asgard High Council were to agree, the information would be of little use to you. You cannot even begin to comprehend the vastness of what the Library of Knowledge contains. We have been studying what we retrieved for as long as I can remember, and, though we have learned much in that time, we have barely scratched the surface. With your present level of technology, you could not hope to store more than a very small fraction of the data, and what you did retrieve would be unorganized."

"Are you saying that there isn't any kind of structure to it?" Sam asked. "No organization into categories at all?"

"No. It was necessary for our scientists to study the data and categorize it ourselves."

"If you think about it, that does make sense," Daniel said. "I mean, the data was designed to download into an Ancient's brain. All the stuff we have in our brains isn't neatly categorized and labeled."

"Doctor Jackson is correct," Thor confirmed. "The brain has the capacity to seek and find specific information contained within it."

Jack was frowning. "But I thought there was supposed to be some kind of doohickey that let the Ancients download just certain stuff from one of those things."

"Yes, sir, but we really don't know how it worked," Sam responded.

Daniel was frowning. "So, basically, what this means is that, even if we could retrieve some of the information, going through it for anything of specific value could take a very long time."

Thor nodded. "Yes. Without the direct conduit that a living brain can provide, to learn specific information from it would be a very lengthy process."

Daniel opened his mouth, but was stopped by Jack, whose finger shot upward.

"Don't even say it, Daniel," he warned. "I already told you no."

"It isn't going to hurt for me to tell Thor what we learned."

Daniel filled the Asgard in on the discovery that he and Jack could operate Ancient technology, what he'd found out about the genetic key, the info on the research into ascension, and what he'd remembered of his conversation with Oma.

"You are correct that O'Neill has the genetic key," Thor confirmed. "We were unaware that the anomaly we detected was for that purpose or that it had originally been created through genetic manipulation."

"And what about Daniel?" Sam asked.

"We have had no reason to scan his genetic code, so that is unknown."

"Could you do it now?" Daniel asked.

"Yes."

Jack was glaring at the archeologist. "Daniel."

"What? Jack, we need to know if I have the gene, too, or if there's some other reason why I can operate Ancient technology."

Unable to argue against that, Jack acquiesced.

Thor beamed Daniel and the rest of SG-1 up to his ship, where he quickly did some scans of the archeologist.

"Doctor Jackson does not have the same genetic anomaly that O'Neill has," he announced. "However, the scans have detected significant differences in his brain's physiology."

"What kind of differences?" the archeologist asked.

"There is greater development in some areas of your brain than that of the average human. At least some of these differences would have been present at birth and indicate that you are a significant step forward on the evolutionary path. There are other anomalies, however, that I do not believe were present at birth. It may be that they are due to your ascension. We would have to study this at length to determine what effects these anomalies might have."

Daniel absorbed the knowledge that his guess had been correct. "Um, this greater development in my brain. Would it enable me to better handle a download from the repository?"

"Dammit, Daniel!" Jack yelled. "I told you not to ask that!"

"I have to know, Jack."

"It is possible that you may be able to retain and utilize the knowledge more readily, but it would eventually overwhelm your mind and kill you, just as it was killing O'Neill."

"You see?" Jack said. "No download."

Thor looked at Daniel. "I am assuming that you are unaware that you presently already possess what must be a significant portion of that knowledge."

"What?" Daniel, Sam and Jack exclaimed.

"In scanning Doctor Jackson's brain, I saw that there is a massive amount of information stored in his subconscious mind at a level too deep to retrieve through ordinary means. The content is far too great for it to be what he has learned during his time as a human, so I can only assume that it is what he gained during his ascension."

Sam was the first one to recover enough from the shock to speak. "But how can that be possible? How can he store all that knowledge in his mind at all?"

"For an ordinary human it would not be possible," Thor explained. "Even though the human brain has the capacity to store many times the amount of information than would be gathered in an average lifetime, it would still not be enough. But Doctor Jackson's brain has a far superior capacity to store information."

"So, you're saying that, though he can't hold all the knowledge from a repository consciously, he's already doing so subconsciously?" Sam asked.

"Yes."

"I think I need to sit down," Daniel mumbled. "I thought Oma took it all, wiped all that knowledge from my brain."

"Apparently not," Jack said.

Sam shook her head. "I still don't understand how that's possible."

"It is likely that the reason why he is able to retain the knowledge subconsciously is that it was already present when he was descended," Thor explained. "Because it was there when he was made human again, his brain did not have to suddenly adjust to it. The physical structures adapted at the moment of recreation, enabling his brain to handle the presence of the data."

"So, it was sort of like a forced evolution. It was there, so his brain had to reform in a more evolved state to contain it."

"In a manner of speaking."

"We might also have Oma to thank for this," Daniel murmured, wondering what her motive was if that was true.

Jack didn't much care how it was possible. He was more concerned about what would happen because of it. Would Daniel go on a crusade to get at that knowledge in his subconscious? What would happen if he succeeded?

As if the archeologist had picked up on Jack's thoughts, he asked Thor, "Would there be any way for me to get at the knowledge?"

"It is doubtful that any technology or process you presently have would be capable of doing so."

"What about a Tok'ra memory recall device?"

"Those devices are designed to retrieve memories that are closer to the surface. I do not believe that they could do so with information that is so deeply buried."

Daniel met the Asgard's eyes. "Could you do it?"

"Daniel," Jack said in a tone of warning.

"That is something I do not know," Thor answered. "Even if we could, there would be no way to limit the access, and it could result in all of the knowledge being released into your conscious mind. You would then be in the same situation that you would be in if you were to use one of the repositories."

"Okay, there's your answer, Daniel," Jack said. "Time to drop the subject."

Daniel didn't drop the subject. "But then you could just remove it from my mind as you did from Jack's, right?"

"Yes, in that eventuality, we could remove the knowledge, but you must understand that there would still be a risk. The human brain is not designed to have such a massive quantity of data downloaded into, particularly at the rate of speed that happens when interfacing with a repository. Severe brain damage is a possibility. O'Neill did suffer some damage to his brain, but it was minimal and easily healed. Though we may have been able to heal more extensive damage, he could have suffered the permanent loss of some or all of his own memories and knowledge, as could you. The loss could be extensive enough that your mind would be left blank of all its contents."

"Okay, now there is _definitely_ no way that you're doing it, Daniel," Jack declared.

The younger man said nothing more, though his silence didn't really ease Jack's mind. He knew his friend too well to assume that this was the end of the matter. Crap. Why did Thor have to blab about this?

Figuring that having even a tiny portion of the data in its unorganized form would be better than nothing at all, Sam asked Thor to try getting permission from the Asgard High Council to help them get around the safeguards. He promised to do so.

After being returned to the SGC, SG-1 filled Hammond in on what they'd learned. He was understandably disappointed to find out that they might not be able to make use of anything on the repository. He told the others that he would let the Tok'ra know what Thor had said.

After the debriefing, Daniel went straight to his office. He hadn't been there even five minutes when Jack walked in.

"I hope that what Thor said has convinced you that interfacing with that thing or trying to get at what's already in your head would be too dangerous," the grey-haired man said. The silence that followed was not what he wanted to hear. "I'm not hearing a 'Yes, Jack,' Daniel. You heard what he said. You could get brain damage. You could be left some kind of mindless blank slate. That's too much to risk on some shot in the dark that we _might_ be able to get something useful from you before your brain fries. And if you still don't think so, then don't think about yourself; think about Egeria and what it would do to her if something terrible happened to you. Would you want to put her through that hell?"

Daniel closed his eyes and let out a long, low sigh. "No."

Seeing the sadness on his friend's face, Jack softened his voice. "I'm sorry that we probably won't be able to get anything from that repository, Daniel. I know how much you wanted it. Maybe when they think we're ready, the Asgard will share with us what they got from one of the things."

Daniel nodded slightly, but didn't say anything. Not knowing what else to say, Jack left. The archeologist remained where he was for a couple more minutes, then abruptly rose to his feet. He went to the elevator and ascended to the top of the mountain. There, he sat on the remains of a dead tree and stared at the ground between his feet. That is where Egeria found him ten minutes later. She sat beside him.

"Samantha has told me what you learned," she said. She placed her hand on his back. "I am so sorry, Daniel."

"Millions of years of knowledge," he said in a low, sorrow-filled voice. "Knowledge of the universe, things that could teach us so much, that could help so many people. It's all sitting there in Sam's lab, and we'll never have any of it. It's all in _here_," he waved his hand at his head, "and I'll never see any of it. It would have been better if Oma had erased it. Why did she leave it there when she must have known that I would never be able to use any of it?"

"I do not know. If it was deliberate, she must have had a reason."

Daniel's gaze returned to the ground. "I envy you."

"How so?"

"You have all that knowledge in your mind, and you're able to do something with it. You're able to share it and use it. You'll get to see it accomplish something."

Egeria was upset by the defeated tone of his voice. "You have accomplished things with your knowledge, too, Daniel. Perhaps not the knowledge of the Ancients, but the things you learned throughout your life. You have done good things with it, saved lives. There are many others who could not say the same." She grasped his hand in both of hers. "Please do not let this hurt you so. It grieves me to see you this way."

"I just really wanted it, Egeria. I wanted to use it the way I should have been allowed to when I was ascended. And I guess . . . I guess I also wanted to show the Ancients how wrong they are in not using what they have to make a difference in the universe . . . not that they'd actually pay attention."

Not knowing how to make Daniel feel better, Egeria rested her head on his shoulder. They stayed that way as the minutes ticked by. Daniel finally decided that it was time to go back inside, especially since it was getting a little hot sitting there in the sun. They went to the commissary for some lunch, though Daniel wasn't all that hungry. He was glad that his teammates weren't there since he was in no mood for conversation.

Later that afternoon, SG-1 and Egeria were called to the briefing room.

"I have a couple of announcements to make," Hammond said. "First of all, I have received orders to turn the Ancient repository over to Area 51 once we have heard back from Thor on whether or not the Asgard will help us retrieve any data from it."

"Why?" Sam asked. "What do they think that they can get off of it?"

"The president feels that there is no harm in letting them take a crack at it, if the Asgard refuse to help. They have the time and manpower to devote to it, whereas our primary mission is continuing our efforts against the Goa'uld. Once they have exhausted all efforts to retrieve the data, they will be dismantling the device to study the technology, which they are hoping will give us some valuable information, perhaps even ways that we can backwards engineer some of it for other purposes."

The thought of taking apart something that carried so much priceless knowledge within it really upset Daniel. But the fact remained that what they learned from the technology might be the only thing of value that they'd ever gain from the repository.

The general's expression lightened a bit. "Considering this news and what we learned earlier today, I'm sure we could all do with a bit of good news for a change. I have received word that the liquid Naquadah manufacturing facility on M6F-202 is ready to go into production."

The announcement surprised Sam. "Already? It's only been two months since Egeria gave us the information."

"The facility was a top priority. There have been work crews on the planet working around the clock to get it done as soon as possible. And it will not be long before we have weapons ready for what that facility produces. Area 51 is busy working on hybrid weapon systems for both the 302's and the Prometheus, as well as for all future ships we build." The general turned to Egeria. "I have a personal thank you from the president for the information you gave us that made all these things possible. Those weapons alone will be of tremendous help to us in fighting the Goa'uld, and there is no telling what other uses we may find for liquid Naquadah."

Egeria smiled. "I am very pleased that I could help you in this way. If it helps bring about the downfall of even one Goa'uld, it will give me great joy." She looked at Daniel to see the ghost of a smile on his face. She turned back to the general. "I must point out, though, that, if it were not for Daniel's efforts, I would not have been here to give you that information."

"I assure you that the president appreciates the part that Doctor Jackson played in this whole thing. He has added it to the growing list of things to which we owe Doctor Jackson a great debt."

Daniel remained silent. He knew that Egeria bringing up his part in this was an attempt to show him how his knowledge and skills have benefitted Earth.

As SG-1 and Egeria walked toward the elevator, Jack smiled. "Okay, so I take back some of the bad things I said about those guys at Area 51. I can't wait to see those new weapons and what they can do. Now, ya see? We don't need that Ancient knowledge. We're going to be able to kick Goa'uld butt with their _own_ knowledge, which I find _so_ sweet."

Jack's comment made Sam look at Daniel. He wasn't sharing Jack's smile. She could understand how he felt. She, too, had really wanted that knowledge, though her reasons weren't as personal as his.

Daniel chose to go home that evening rather than staying in his quarters. Tomorrow was supposed to be his day off, and he intended to take it this time. Egeria accompanied him home and insisted that they spend the next day out on the town.

The following morning started with a big breakfast at one of Daniel's favorite cafes. Afterwards, the couple went to a mall, where a horribly embarrassed Daniel was dragged into a lingerie shop. Egeria spent the next half-hour modeling sexy lingerie for him, basing her choices of what she would buy on the way that Daniel stared at her in each outfit. By the time they left the shop, the archeologist was quite eager to get home and have Egeria model the lingerie for him again. She was in a teasing mood, however, and insisted that they continue shopping, this time for things for _him_ to wear. Daniel told her flat out that she was _not_ getting him into a Speedo.

After lunch, the couple had ice cream sundaes at the park as they watched children frolicking in the playground. Daniel found his eyes going often to Egeria, thinking about how good she made him feel. Yesterday, he'd been frustrated and depressed. Today, those feelings were gone. Yes, he was still upset that they would likely not be able to get any of the Ancient knowledge, but things were looking up in their ongoing efforts against the Goa'uld. With what Egeria had given them, they would have a powerful source of energy, not just for weapons but also other things. And still more had yet to be created with her Goa'uld knowledge. Ultimately, it might even prove to be enough to tip the scales in their favor.

Looking yet again at Egeria and seeing the smile on her face as she watched a three-year-old boy being swung around in the air by his father, Daniel's thoughts turned to more personal things. He was so in love with her. She was the most important thing in his existence, and he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He wanted to marry her.

That thought made him pause as he recalled when he had it before. It had been only five weeks since they began this romance, less than ten weeks since they were reunited, yet he knew with complete certainty that he wanted this woman beside him to be his wife, to share his life and have his children, the children that he and Sha're were never able to have together.

Daniel had always believed that Sha're was his soul mate. If that was true, then he had found a second soul mate in Egeria, a woman who was so different from his wife in many ways, yet so much like her in others.

But it was still too soon to be seriously thinking about marriage. He'd had no say in the matter when he was rushed into marriage with Sha're. There was no need to rush this time.

It was late afternoon by the time the couple went home. As they entered the living room, laden with shopping bags and chatting about something they'd heard on the radio, Daniel thought he heard a sound in the kitchen. And then, suddenly, four men with guns appeared, quickly surrounding them. Daniel stared at their stern faces, not recognizing any of them.

"Who are you?" he asked. "What do you want?"

"Please put down the bags, Doctor Jackson," one of them said, "both of you."

Obeying the polite yet firm command, Daniel and Egeria set the bags on the floor. Daniel was then searched, his cell phone and car keys taken. Egeria's purse was also searched, though the only things removed from it were objects that Daniel realized could conceivably be used as weapons.

"What do you want?" he asked again, aiming his question toward the person who'd spoken before, a thin man with light grey eyes.

"Something that only you can give us, Doctor Jackson."

"Which is?"

"The Ancient knowledge contained within the repository."

Stunned, Daniel stared at the man. He now had a pretty good idea who these people were.

"You're part of the group that tried to assassinate Senator Kinsey and frame Jack for it, aren't you. I wasn't around then, but I read the reports. You're connected to the rogue NID group that was stealing advanced technology. Agent Barrett and his people cleared you guys out of the NID and SGC, but we all knew that a lot of you must still be around."

"Who we are doesn't matter," the man stated. "All you need to concern yourself with is getting us what we want."

"And how am I supposed to do that? Walk past the checkpoints with the repository tucked in my pocket? There's no way that I could get it off the base."

"We do not want the repository itself. It would be useless to us since we would have no way to retrieve the information from it. We know that Thor has told you that getting past the safeguards would be impossible without their help."

Daniel was disturbed by how much these people knew. How could they have found out all those things? Did they have a spy in the SGC? Or was their informant further up the chain of command?

All at once, Daniel realized what they wanted him to do. "You want me to interface with it."

"Yes."

"No!" Egeria exclaimed. "It would kill him."

The man's cold eyes turned to her. "The SGC is expecting Thor to return with his answer about whether or not the Asgard will consent to help them get through the safeguards. If we have what we want by then, you and Doctor Jackson will be released so that he can receive help from Thor."

"And if it doesn't work out that way?" Daniel asked. "We have no idea when Thor will get here. He could arrive tomorrow, which would be too soon, or he could come in a week, which would be too late, at least for me."

"You will simply have to hope that the SGC can contact the Asgard, and one of them will arrive in time."

Daniel glared at the man. "And what if I refuse?"

The man glanced at one of his companions, who shifted the aim of his gun to point straight at Egeria. Daniel's heart began racing, fear tightening his stomach.

"I would advise you not to refuse," said the grey-eyed man.

Daniel met Egeria's eyes. Those eyes were begging him not to do it, but he had no choice. He couldn't let her be killed. He knew that these men could be lying to him, that their real intention was to kill both him and Egeria after they got what they wanted, but as long as he and Egeria were alive, there was hope that they'd get out of this.

Daniel returned his gaze to the man he assumed was the one in charge. "All right, I'll do it."

"Wise choice. If, however, you are thinking that, while you are at the SGC, you will be able to alert someone as to what is going on," he pulled two things out of his pocket, "you will be wearing these." He handed the objects to Daniel. "One is a listening device that will enable us to hear everything you say. The other is a miniature video camera that will allow us to see where you go on the base. Once it is attached to your belt, it will be virtually unnoticeable."

"And do you also have a handy device that will enable me to get into Sam's lab, take the download, lie unconscious on the floor for several minutes, and then stagger back out of the lab without being noticed?"

"You will make your move tonight, after the majority of the personnel are off-duty. I am sure that you will be able to navigate Major Carter's lab without turning on the light."

Daniel shook his head. "Sam always keeps a light on, even when she's not in there." He noticed the look that passed between the grey-eyed man and one of the others. "I guess that's one thing you _didn't_ know."

The guy who had been doing all the talking turned back to Daniel. "What about your office?"

"Sometimes I keep a light on and sometimes I don't."

"Did you leave a light on when you left yesterday?"

"No," Daniel replied after thinking back for a moment.

"Very well, then this is what you're going to do."

Daniel listened as the man told him step-by-step what to do, warning him often that he was to make no attempts to alert his teammates or anyone else about what was happening.

Finishing his instructions, the man hit the speakerphone button on Daniel's land line telephone. "Make the call."

"What if she's not there?"

"As I told you, we know that she is on the base. You will just keep trying until you get her."

Hesitating only a second, Daniel stepped up to the phone and dialed the direct number to Sam's lab.

"Hey, Sam. It's Daniel." he said when the astrophysicist answered the call.

"Daniel. I thought you were taking today off."

"I am. Um . . . I'm going to be coming in early tomorrow, and I'd like to take a look at the repository again. There are some things I want to check out. Could you see to it that it's put in my office before you leave tonight? It'll be a lot easier if I can look at it there."

"Uh, sure, I can do that." There was a pause. "Is everything okay, Daniel? You sound a little off."

Daniel glanced at the man standing beside him and saw a warning glittering in the grey depths of his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm okay, Sam," the archeologist replied, making more of an effort to sound casual. "I'm just still a little upset about everything."

"Yeah, me too. Okay, I'll make sure that the repository is put in your office. I'll go ahead and have it done now since I'm not planning on doing anything with it."

"Thanks, Sam."

Daniel hung up the phone and turned back to the man with grey eyes. "Okay, it's done, and I have your instructions. Now what?"

"Now, we all wait here until you leave tonight. Then my companions and I will be taking Egeria someplace more secure. Once you have accomplished your mission, you will drive to a pay phone and call this number." The man handed Daniel a slip of paper. "Someone will be sent to pick you up."

The hours that followed dragged by. During most of the time, Daniel and Egeria were made to sit on the couch. Egeria kept a tight grip on his hand. He knew that she was afraid, not for herself but for him.

Just before it was time for him to leave, Daniel was taken into his bedroom and strip-searched to make sure that he hadn't managed to hide a note or had something else that he'd use to pass on a warning to someone on the base. The archeologist suffered through the embarrassing and humiliating procedure without a word. Once he was dressed again, the miniature video camera was attached to his belt, and the bug was put in his pocket. Both items were made entirely of materials that the checkpoint scanner wouldn't detect.

As he stood at the front door, Daniel's gaze met Egeria's. He wanted to hug her, but the men wouldn't allow it, so all he could do was tell her with his eyes that he loved her.

Watching Daniel walk out the door do to something that could result in his death, Egeria wanted to scream at him not to do it, that she'd rather die than lose him, but it would be useless. All she could hope was that these men honored their end of the agreement and that the Asgard would arrive in time to save the man she loved more than life.

Once Daniel was gone, she turned a cold, hard gaze on the leader of the men. "Where are you going to take me?"

"Someplace where we can be certain that we will not be disturbed."

"Do you truly think that your plan is going to prevent Daniel's teammates from discovering that he and I are missing?"

"Not for the full time, but it will delay the discovery long enough. Even after they figure out the truth, they will have a very hard time finding you. That we made sure of. In the time that will give us, Doctor Jackson will provide us with a great deal of information . . . as will you."

Surprised, Egeria stared at him. "Me?"

"You possess the knowledge of the Goa'uld, things that we want. Yes, some of it we could get from what you have already given to the SGC, but there are other things we want that you haven't yet given to them."

Egeria lifted her chin. "I would sooner die than give you any knowledge."

"Oh, I have no doubt of that, but would you be willing to watch your lover die? If you don't cooperate, all we'd have to do is stand by and let the Ancient knowledge kill him."

Her hands curled into fists, Egeria turned away. She couldn't let that happen, and they knew it. She would have no choice but to give them what they wanted from her.

* * *

As Daniel drove, he tried to figure out what he could do to stop this or at least get a warning to his teammates, but he couldn't come up with anything. The men who were holding Egeria as a hostage to assure his cooperation had been very thorough. They had emptied his car of anything that he could have used to write a note. His cell phone had been confiscated. Even his wallet had been emptied of everything except his driver's license and base keycard.

At the first checkpoint, Daniel gave the reason that he'd been told to give for his arrival in the middle of the night, explaining that someone on his staff who was working late had discovered something that could be extremely important, but he needed Daniel's expertise. When he reached the checkpoint with the scanner, he kept hoping that it would detect the camera and bug. Unfortunately, he passed right on through without a problem.

As ordered, Daniel went straight to his office, saying nothing to the people he passed. He paused at the darkened entrance. In the light from the corridor, he dimly saw the repository sitting on a cart in the corner, the opening covered by a cloth.

Daniel stepped inside and hit the button to shut the door, plunging the room into complete darkness. After so many years, he knew the layout of the room like the back of his hand and was able to navigate through the darkness without bumping into anything.

As Daniel's hand came in contact with the repository, he really thought about what he was about to do. Just two days ago, he had wanted to do this very thing. But that was before he learned that it could result in brain damage, that it could destroy all his own memories and knowledge, leaving him a tabula rasa, a blank slate, without even the knowledge of how to speak. And, two days ago, he had wanted to do it because he believed that what he gained might benefit the Stargate Program and the rest of humanity. Now, it wasn't humanity that would benefit, but, rather, an unscrupulous group of people who would use what they learned for things he didn't want to think about. If it was only his life on the line, he'd have told them to go to hell, but his was not the life he was protecting by doing this.

Positioning himself between the repository and where he knew the camera was, Daniel felt for the cloth and removed it. The repository immediately sprang to life, growing in height. He stared down into the faint light being emitted from the opening. By sense of touch, he found and pressed the small raised area under the opening that his research had said would set the device not to grab the user's head.

Daniel slipped off his coat and draped it over his head, a necessary precaution to prevent the camera from seeing the light of the activated repository. He then stood there for a moment, eyes closed, and prayed that he wasn't dooming Egeria to the horror of watching him die or being turned into a mindless shell.

Drawing in a deep breath, Daniel opened his eyes and lowered his head to the opening. Deep in his mind, he sensed a connection being forged. And then it was as if the floodgates of a dam had been opened, drowning him in sights, and sounds, and sensations, mercilessly bombarding his mind. He was frozen in place, unable to move as millions upon millions of years of knowledge poured with unimaginable speed into his brain.

The flood stopped as suddenly as it started. Daniel's legs gave out, and he crumpled to the floor, unconsciousness descending upon him like a cold, black cloud.


	29. Chapter 29

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

The pain was pounding through Daniel's brain like a jackhammer as he opened his eyes. For hazy seconds he laid there, confused about what had happened, where he was, and why it was so dark. As his mind cleared, the impact of what he'd just done hit him. Now inside his brain were two copies of the Ancient knowledge, one that was hidden and unretrievable and one that would gradually fill his mind and overwhelm him until his brain could no longer survive and would shut down, unless help from the Asgard could be gotten in time.

Feeling dizzy and light-headed, Daniel struggled to his feet. He stood there swaying until he felt capable of walking. He then made his way to the door. Still a little dizzy, he bumped into his desk, grabbing it to steady himself, then managed to make it the rest of the way.

The light from the corridor as he opened the door speared into his eyes, increasing the strength of the headache. Giving himself only a moment for his eyes to adjust, he left the office and walked to the elevator.

The men at the checkpoints commented on the brevity of his stay, and he told them that it had turned out to be a wasted trip. Once he was back in town, he went to a pay phone and called the number he'd been given.

"Is it done?" asked a voice he recognized as belonging to the grey-eyed man.

"Yes."

"Where are you?"

Daniel gave the man his location and was told to stay there. Several minutes later, a black van pulled up. A man got out and told Daniel to leave his keys in his car and get inside the van.

The back of the van had no windows, and there was a partition between it and the cab, so Daniel was unable to see anything throughout the drive and had no idea where they were when they arrived at their destination.

When Daniel exited the van, he saw that it had been pulled into a warehouse. He watched as his car was brought in as well. Beyond the open door, all he could see were trees, giving him no clue as to where they were, except that it must not be in town, which was something he'd already figured out by the length of the drive to get there.

As the door was closed and Daniel was led around the van, he saw Egeria. She rushed over, her eyes searching his.

"Daniel?"

"I did it."

Worry filled the green depths gazing at him.

"It'll be okay," he assured her, though he was anything but sure of that.

The grey-eyed man came out of what looked like an office and walked up to them.

"Okay, I did what you wanted," Daniel said. "So, what now? We all sit around playing Monopoly as we wait for something to start happening? As I told you before, it's going to be a while."

"We have a room where you and Egeria can get some rest. I suggest that you take advantage of it. Once you start getting access to the knowledge, you will not be getting much sleep."

Daniel glared at him. "As I'm sure you know, I am very likely going to start speaking Ancient. I can do my own translating at first, but what happens when I'm no longer capable of doing that? Do you have someone who understands Ancient?"

"We will worry about that when the times comes, Doctor Jackson."

Daniel and Egeria were taken to a room with two fold-up twin beds and a small bathroom off to the side containing a toilet and sink. The door was shut behind them, a lock sliding into place. Daniel went straight to the sink and splashed cold water on his face. The headache was mostly gone, but he knew that was only temporary. It would return and get progressively worse, just as it did with Jack.

As he exited the bathroom, Daniel saw Egeria staring at him.

"You should not have done it," she said.

"I had no choice. I wasn't going to let them kill you."

The look of fear in her eyes deepened. "But what if—"

"Don't think about it, Egeria. We'll get out of this, both of us."

They pushed the two beds together. Suspecting that there might be a camera hidden somewhere, Daniel kept the light on in the bathroom, but left the door open just a crack. He then turned off the light in the main room. He and Egeria got under the covers, facing each other, their faces only inches apart. She laid her hand on his cheek.

"I will die if you die, Daniel," she said in an unsteady, barely audible whisper. "I will not wish to live without you."

"Don't say that, Egeria," he told her in an equally quiet voice, not wanting the men he knew were listening in to hear.

"But it is true. If I lost you, there would be no joy left to me. My life would be empty."

Daniel pulled her into his arms and held her close. It was a long time before he felt her relax as she fell asleep. More minutes ticked by as he remained awake.

In his mind he prayed, _'Please let this turn out all right.'_

* * *

Distractedly, Sam picked up the phone, not taking her eyes from the readout on the computer screen. "Carter."

"Sam, it's Daniel. I just wanted to let you know that I won't be coming in today. I woke up sick this morning, some kind of flu bug. Egeria's going to stay with me and be my nursemaid."

Her full attention now on the conversation, Sam asked, "Did you tell Janet?"

"Yes. She wanted me to come in, but it's just the flu. I'm sure I'll be fine in a few days."

"Is there anything you need? I could run to the store for you after work."

"Thanks for the offer, but we're good. Besides, I don't want you coming here and getting whatever I have. Could you let Jack know about this? As usual, he's not in his office."

"Sure, I'll tell him. I hope you feel better soon and that Egeria doesn't catch what you've got."

"Thanks. Bye."

Daniel disconnected the call and looked at the man he had named Mister Grey, not having a real name for the guy.

"You know that this is only going to work for so long. Sooner or later, Janet is going to stop by my place to check up on me, and, as soon as someone tries to call me and gets no answer, they'll know something is up."

"Yes, we are aware of that. This is only meant to give us a couple of days before the search for you begins."

Daniel joined Egeria where she sat at a table in a section of the warehouse where six-foot-high partitions had been set up, forming an open-ended seating and kitchen area. He sat down and took a drink of his coffee, grimacing at the bitter taste. He had half a mind to tell someone that, if they were going to keep him and Egeria a prisoner, the least they could do was provide a better brand of coffee.

"How long will it be before you begin to see the effects?" Egeria asked, ignoring the pastry before her.

"I can't be sure. It was over two days before Jack started showing signs, but it could be different with me. It might happen faster." Daniel looked into Egeria's eyes. "About what you said last night."

She turned away. "I do not wish to speak of it."

"Egeria, I have to know that, if I don't make it, you're not going to—" He stopped himself from saying what he was thinking. The mere thought of her taking her own life was too much to bear. Would she really do that? She was so strong. A weak person could not have made it through all she had. But he had to know for sure. "You have to promise me that, if I die, you'll go on without me. Please."

Egeria finally turned back to him. She looked into his pleading eyes. For the longest time, she didn't speak, then she touched his face.

"I promise," she whispered.

Daniel relaxed, breathing a silent sigh of relief.

He looked around the warehouse, noting the locations of everyone in it. All of the men who'd been at his house were there, as well as four others, two of whom were stationed at the exits, armed with pistols. There were other firearms on a table against the far wall, which was also where the cars were parked and where two of the other men were stationed. The archeologist wasn't foolish enough to believe that he'd be allowed anywhere near them or the exits.

He'd been trying to figure out how he and Egeria could escape, but he really didn't think it would be possible. Taking one of the cars would obviously be out of the question, and escaping by foot would likely result in them being recaptured very quickly.

Like it or not, they were probably in this for the long haul – unless a certain person at the SGC picked up on the little clue he'd given to her.

* * *

Janet frowned down at the chart in her hands, her mind not really on what it said. Instead, she was thinking about Daniel. He had insisted that it was just the flu and that there was no need for her to examine him, but she would still feel better if she could, especially since it wasn't flu season. The thing about off-world travel was that there was always the danger that someone would be exposed to an alien virus or bacteria. It had happened more than once, the worst being the histaminolytic virus that infected the entire base, turning everyone who got it into the equivalent of neanderthals. Every time someone on one of the SG teams got sick, they had to consider that it might not be just a garden variety Earth illness. If he wasn't better in a couple of days, she was going to insist that he come in.

Turning her attention back to the chart, she checked it over, made a couple of notations, then hung it back on the foot of the bed.

Janet went to her office and got on the computer, but, again, she found her mind going to Daniel and her conversation with him. There was something nagging at her, and she couldn't put her finger on it. She thought back over what was said.

_"Daniel, I'd feel a lot better if you came in and I took a look at you."_

_"I'll be fine, Janet. It's not like I haven't had the flu before. I'm not nearly as sick as I was that last autumn before I ascended. I'll stay in bed and get plenty of rest. Egeria will take good care of me. If I get really sick, I'll call. I promise."_

_"Well . . . all right, but if you notice any unusual symptoms, I want to hear about it right away."_

_"Yes, ma'am."_

All at once, Janet realized what was bugging her. Daniel didn't get sick during that last flu season before he ascended. A nasty flu bug made the rounds of the SGC that fall, striking before the annual flu shots had been given out. Both Sam and Colonel O'Neill got it, but Daniel remained completely healthy, a fact that the ill colonel grumbled about more than once.

Had Daniel just gotten confused? He _had_ gotten the flu the _previous_ year, though it was just a mild case. In fact, the only time he got a case of the flu that really laid him up was the first year he was in the program. How could he get confused about that?

Janet began getting concerned. Could this be some kind of strange symptom of an alien illness? Daniel had sounded completely cognizant, no slurred speech, mispronounced words or other audible signs of neurological problems. It was probably nothing, just a simple mistake.

Janet tried to focus her attention on what was on her monitor, but she finally gave up. She looked at her watch, seeing that it was almost 11:30. She could take an early lunch and run over to Daniel's. He'd probably accuse her of being a mother hen, but it would make her feel better.

Telling one of the nurses that she'd be off-base for a while, Janet changed into her civilian clothes and left the mountain. When she got to Daniel's house, she noticed that his car wasn't anywhere in sight. Perhaps he went to the store to get some over-the-counter flu medicine.

Thinking that Egeria might be there, the doctor went up to the door and knocked. Getting no answer, she glanced through the window. She noticed several shopping bags sitting on the floor as if they'd been dropped there and forgotten.

Janet returned to her car, deciding to wait for Daniel and Egeria to return. As the minutes passed, she kept glancing at her watch. Over twenty minutes went by without any sign of them. It wouldn't take this long for Daniel to get some flu meds, not when there was a pharmacy just a few blocks away.

Janet got her phone and called Daniel's cell. The call went straight to voice mail. That's when she knew that something was wrong. Had they gone to get some medicine, and Daniel suddenly became ill enough that he was rushed to a hospital? That wouldn't explain why his phone wasn't ringing – unless they got into a car accident.

The doctor dialed another number. That call was picked up.

"Sam, it's Janet. I'm at Daniel's place. He and Egeria aren't here, and I've been sitting here for nearly half an hour. I tried calling him, but either his cell is off or it's not working. I decided to come here because of something odd that he said when he called me this morning."

Sam was frowning. "What did he say?"

Janet explained everything to her. "I know that it might have just been a simple mistake, but it was bothering me, so I decided to check on him. They shouldn't have been gone this long, Sam, and Daniel's phone should not be off."

"You're right. You think that something happened? An accident?"

"That's what I'm afraid it might be. If he was driving and suddenly became incapacitated because of his illness, he could have lost control of the car."

"All right. I'll start calling the hospitals."

"I'll head back to the base."

Sam hung up the phone. She then dialed the number for Jack's office. Not surprisingly, there was no answer. She dialed another number and requested that a call be sent over the P.A. system for her C.O. to come to her lab. She then got the phone book and looked up the numbers for the local hospitals. She was on the phone with the first one when Jack came in. He listened to the conversation, frowning when he realized what the call was about.

"What's going on, Carter?" he asked when she hung up.

Sam filled him in, deepening the frown on his face.

When the calls to the hospitals came up blank, Sam contacted the police to ask them about accidents. None of the car crashes in the area involved a vehicle with the make and model of Daniel's. As she was making these calls, Jack tried twice to get through to the archeologist, first calling his cell phone, then the one at his house. The cell was still going straight to voice mail, and the land line was being picked up by the answering machine.

"This stinks to high heaven," Jack declared. "Daniel would not deliberately cut off communication like this."

"No, he wouldn't."

"We need to get to his place and check it out."

Sam called Janet to give her an update as Jack contacted Teal'c.

A while later, the three members of SG-1 were at Daniel's house. As they stepped inside, they immediately noticed the bags sitting on the floor. Sam noted the name on one of the bags and glanced inside to see some lingerie. There's no way that they were shopping at the mall today, which meant that the bags had been sitting there on the floor since yesterday.

"Carter."

Sam looked up at the colonel to see that he was holding something. It was Daniel's cell phone.

Teal'c came walking back into the living room. "The bed has been made. I do not believe that they would have taken the time to make it if they were merely going to purchase medicine."

"Which means that it hasn't been slept in since night before last," Jack concluded.

"But Daniel called me and Janet just this morning to tell us that he was sick," Sam said.

"The question is, was he calling of his own free will?"

Sam looked at the colonel sharply. "You think that they've been kidnapped?"

"I'm thinking that there are certain nefarious people out there who would probably like to get hold of the Goa'uld knowledge that Egeria has."

"You're right. We should have considered this all along. We know that some of the people who were running the rogue NID operation are still out there and that they still have an agenda of some kind. That knowledge would be very valuable to them."

"Let's get back to the SGC. We need to let Hammond know."

As soon as they arrived on base, SG-1 went to the general, who was alarmed by what they told him.

"It makes sense that they'd leave Daniel's cell phone," Sam said. "They wouldn't have wanted us to trace the GPS signal. Daniel's call this morning was probably made on a disposable phone with no GPS."

"When was the last time that any of you heard from Doctor Jackson before his call this morning?" Hammond asked.

"He called me late yesterday afternoon," Sam replied. "He sounded a little odd, but he said that he was just still upset about the. . . ." Her eyes widened. "Oh my God."

"What?" Jack asked. "What is it?"

"Daniel said that he wanted to take a look at the repository this morning, that there was something he wanted to check. He asked me to have it sent to his office. I didn't think there was anything strange about it, so I had it taken over there."

"Oh, I am not liking this one little bit."

SG-1 hurried to Daniel's office. Sam froze when she saw the repository.

"Sir, the cloth has been taken off," she said with a sinking feeling in her gut.

They came further into the room. A pile of files on Daniel's desk had fallen over, and several sheets of paper were on the floor.

Sam's eyes met Jack's. By the look in the coffee-brown depths, she guessed that he was thinking the same thing she was.

"Those who would seek to gain the knowledge of the Goa'uld would consider the knowledge of the Ancients to be of even greater value," Teal'c stated, revealing that he was thinking the same thing as well.

"Oh, God," Sam gasped. "Daniel interfaced with the repository. They must have forced him to do it, threatened to hurt Egeria if he didn't cooperate."

Jack called Hammond and told him what they'd found and what they suspected. He told them to return to his office. When they got there, the general was hanging up the phone.

"I just confirmed that Doctor Jackson arrived at the base shortly before midnight last night," he said. "He left less than fifteen minutes later."

"Which would be enough time for him to take the download and recover from the effects enough to make it out of here," Sam determined.

"Damn," Jack cursed.

"But why didn't he get a message to someone while he was here?"

"They were probably monitoring him somehow." The colonel turned to Hammond. "General, we need to contact the Asgard immediately. They need to be standing by when we find him."

The general nodded sharply. "I'll have the call sent out right away. Major, I want you to call Agent Barrett. We may need his contacts and the manpower of the NID to find Doctor Jackson and Egeria. At this point, we have no idea where they are."

SG-1 went to Sam's lab, where she made the call. Barrett said that he'd put everyone he could spare on the case.

The astrophysicist's stomach was clenched into a tight knot as she hung up the phone.

"Colonel, we have no idea how much time we'll have before Daniel succumbs to the download."

"We should have a few days, shouldn't we?"

Sam shook her head. "We can't know that for sure. You heard what Thor said. Because of the greater development in Daniel's brain, he might have a greater capacity to retain and utilize the knowledge. That also might mean that the knowledge will filter into his consciousness at a faster rate of speed. We may have only a couple of days to find him before it's too late."

* * *

The first word in Ancient was spoken at a little before one o'clock. Daniel was in a quiet conversation with Egeria when he spoke the word "eetium" instead of "yes." When he saw how she was looking at him, he asked what was wrong.

"I guess this answers the question of how fast it's going to start affecting me," he murmured after she told him what he'd said.

The look of fear returned to Egeria's eyes. "It is too soon."

"Yeah. I thought it might happen sooner than it did with Jack, but not quite this soon. I guess Thor really was right about my brain."

Egeria glanced at their captors. "Are you going to tell them that it has started?"

Daniel shook his head. "I want to keep them in the dark for as long as possible, which means that I have to limit how much I speak within their earshot. I can't control when I'm going to say something in Ancient. In the beginning, ego won't even know when I'm speaking it."

Egeria's fear deepened. "You just said ego."

Daniel sighed. "Crap. This isn't good. I'm probably not going to be able to keep this from them for long." He rubbed his temple. "The headache's coming back."

He noticed the man he thought of as Mister Grey in an intense conversation with one of the other men. Neither of them looked happy. The other man walked away, heading over to two others, whom he talked to for a couple of minutes.

"Something's up," Daniel guessed. "Whatever it is, they don't look happy about it."

"Do you think it is possible that our disappearance has been discovered?"

"Could be. I really hope so."

Over the next hour, Daniel's use of words in Ancient grew in frequency. He kept his voice low, saying nothing at all when one of their captors was close enough to overhear. Fortunately, they were mostly being left alone, probably because the men didn't think that anything would be happening with Daniel for at least another day.

When "Mister Grey" came over, Daniel merely glared at him – that is until he told Egeria to come with him.

"Where are you taking her?" the archeologist asked, choosing to take the chance that he'd say something in Ancient.

"It's time for her to start giving us the information we want from her."

Daniel's questioning gaze went to Egeria.

"Ah, I see that she didn't tell you," said Mister Grey. "You are not the only one who can provide us with knowledge that we want. There is Goa'uld knowledge that we will find very useful." He turned back to Egeria. "Come with me."

Daniel stood up when Egeria did. "I'm coming, too."

"No, you are going to stay right where you are. But don't worry. We're not going far, just to a room that has been set up with a video recorder, a computer and several other things. You will be seeing it soon enough when it's your turn to share."

Daniel angrily watched as Egeria was led away. He kept his eyes on her until she disappeared through a door, then he sat back down, resting his head in his hands. The headache was a lot worse now. He had to wonder how bad it was going to get.

More disturbing were the things that had begun leaping into his brain: confusing images, small bits of math equations that he didn't understand, something that he recognized as part of a schematic. The knowledge was already starting to leak through. It wouldn't be long before he would no longer be able to hide it. And then he would be the one taken to that room, where he would have no choice but to give the knowledge to people who would use it for things that would further their own agenda.

Daniel was determined to keep as much from them as he could, but he didn't know how much control he'd have. Jack had very little control over what he did. The archeologist could only hope that Thor was right, and he'd be able to do better.

* * *

Sam walked into Daniel's office.

"I just got an update from Agent Barrett," she told her two teammates. "They learned that someone matching Daniel's description was seen late last night in the parking lot of a closed convenience store being led from a car that sounds like his to a dark-colored van and loaded inside. The person who saw it was suspicious because of the time of night and because someone who'd been in the van then drove Daniel's car. The person didn't get any license plate numbers. The NID was able to track the route of the van and Daniel's car by searching video feeds from cameras in the area, but only for a few blocks. They also got a sketchy description of the other people that the witness saw."

"That isn't much to go on," Jack said.

"No, but it's better than nothing. A BOLO has been put out on Daniel's car. If the police see it, they'll call it in. Normally, we wouldn't involve the police because of the security issue, but Malcolm thinks it's worth the risk."

"They can get the damn Boy Scouts involved, if it'll find Daniel faster. Any word from Thor yet?"

Sam shook her head. "It's probably too soon to expect him. But we should still have time. It's only been fifteen hours since Daniel interfaced with the repository. Chances are that he's still okay."

"But we can't know that for sure, now can we. We don't know _anything_ for sure, except that he's going to die if Thor doesn't get here in time."

Sam's eyes closed for a moment. She was sick with worry over her friend. She wanted to be doing something to help find him, but she didn't know what she could do. There was no trail to follow, no leads to check on, except that one brief sighting. Daniel and Egeria had vanished, and the truth was that they could be anywhere in an area of hundreds of square miles. If they were loaded on an aircraft, they could be even farther away than that.

Jack stared at an artifact on Daniel's desk, cursing the day they found that underground lab. If they'd never found it, they would never have learned about the repository. Daniel would be safe here on base instead of out there somewhere in the hands of people who would probably let him die once they got what they wanted from him.

Jack was actually wishing that Harry Maybourne was still around. The guy was a snake, but he had lots of connections and could probably find out where Daniel was being kept.

There was someone else who probably already knew where Daniel was: Senator Robert Kinsey. Jack had no doubt that he was still involved with that group, even though they'd tried to kill him. If Jack thought it would be possible, he'd borrow a jet and fly to DC, put a gun to Kinsey's head, and make him tell all he knew.

"Sir, I have to wonder about this whole thing," Sam said. "Let's assume that the people who took Daniel and Egeria knew that we've been trying to download the information in the repository, which I think is a pretty safe assumption. They would know that, if we succeeded, it would be a lot easier to gain access to the information off of a computer than it would be to get it from the mind of someone who had interfaced with the repository. But then we found out that we weren't going to be able to get past the safeguards, meaning that probably the only way to get at the information would be to let someone interface with the device. The thing is that we found that out only day before yesterday, and Daniel and Egeria were apparently taken the very next day. I'm finding it hard to believe that these people were able to put together a professionally executed kidnapping plot and carry it out in one day's time."

"You're thinking they had it planned out ahead of time."

"Yes, sir. I think they were making plans for both contingencies, if we could download the information and if we couldn't. I also think that the reason why they moved so quickly to grab Daniel was that the repository is going to be shipped off to Area 51, if the Asgard refuse to help us. Once it was there, Daniel wouldn't have been able to interface with it."

At that moment, a terrible thought hit Sam. She glanced about the room. "Um . . . I didn't have any lunch, so I'm going to go get a little something. I could use some company."

Seeing the way that she was acting, Jack and Teal'c exchanged a glance, then agreed to join her.

Once they were there and had taken a seat, Jack said, "Okay, Carter. What's up? You seemed anxious to get out of Daniel's office."

Sam leaned forward and lowered her voice. "Agent Barrett said that they canvassed Daniel's neighborhood, but nobody saw anything suspicious, no strange cars parked on the street for an extended length of time, which would seem to indicate that the people didn't set up a stakeout. So, how did they know that Daniel and Egeria weren't on base yesterday? Except for that four-day leave, Daniel has only been going home every now and then to pick up his mail and take care of other things, so they couldn't have anticipated that he'd be at home yesterday."

"Good question. Got any answers?"

"Well, I had been thinking that maybe they tapped into the GPS signal of Daniel's phone and were tracking it, but there is another possibility: they have a spy here on base."

"Oh, I definitely don't like that second possibility."

"Me neither, sir, but it's a possibility that we can't dismiss. If there is a spy, he may have planted some bugs around the base."

"You mean like in Daniel's office."

Sam nodded. "And my lab. There might also be ones in the briefing room and General Hammond's office. Those would be the most important places to put some."

"Crap. We need to let Hammond know."

A few minutes later, Jack entered the general's office.

"I was just wondering if you had any news, sir," he said. "Can we expect to get any help looking for Daniel besides from the NID?"

As he spoke, he placed a note on Hammond's desk that read, _"The room may be bugged."_

Reading the note, Hammond paused a couple of seconds before replying. "Not at this time, I'm afraid, though the president wants to be kept apprised of the situation." He got to his feet. "Come walk with me, Jack. I need to stretch my legs a bit."

They left the office and walked down the corridor several yards.

"All right, Colonel," Hammond said. "What's this about?"

Jack filled him in on what Sam had said. There was a deep frown on the general's face by the time he finished.

"I don't think I have to tell you how disturbed I am that there may be someone under my command who is in league with these people. I had hoped that there were no more traitors on my base."

"There may not be. We just need to make sure. Carter says that she can scan your office and the briefing room for bugs. If there aren't any, then we may be in the clear."

Hammond gave a sharp nod. "Do it."

A short while later, Sam silently entered Hammond's office. It was empty, the general sitting in the commissary with Jack, waiting for news of what she found.

She began the search, running her scanner over everything. As she passed the device over the bronze eagle, it gave a silent warning. Very carefully, she picked the statue up and examined it. She found what she was looking for on the underside of the tail.

Knowing what this meant, Sam gave a mental curse. After finding no more bugs in the office, she moved on to the briefing room, where she discovered one on the underside of the conference table.

There was no doubt of it now. There was a spy right there in the SGC, somebody who was involved with the people who took Daniel and Egeria.


	30. Chapter 30

CHAPTER THIRTY

The look on Sam's face when she sat at Jack and Hammond's table in the commissary told the men that she'd found something.

"You found bugs," Jack said.

"I'm afraid so, sir, in the office and the briefing room. I'm going to check Daniel's office, my lab and your office next."

"Crap. So, there _is_ a spy here." Jack's expression darkened. "When we find him, he had better tell us where Daniel is."

"First, we need to find him, Colonel," Hammond stated.

"It wouldn't be someone on an SG team," Sam said. "Whoever it is would want to hang around the base. And there's something else. The bugs he planted have a very limited transmission range. I doubt that they'd be able to transmit beyond the base."

"You mean that the guy is listening in as he's walking around the base?" Jack asked.

"Or he could have some kind of recording equipment set up and is listening to it periodically."

A thoughtful look came to Jack's face. "You know, there is one duty station that would be perfect for someone who wanted to keep an eye on things here, and it would enable him to just sit and listen to what those bugs were transmitting."

"The monitoring station," both Hammond and Sam responded.

The general's expression hardened. "Airman Sawyer volunteered for permanent assignment to the monitoring station. He claimed that he had a sharp eye for details and could sit for hours without getting sleepy. The monitoring station is one of the least desired posts because of the monotony, so I was happy to oblige."

"He's our guy," Jack said.

"Airman Sawyer hasn't been here for very long, has he?" Sam questioned.

"No, not long at all," the general replied. "Less than eight weeks, I believe."

"Eight weeks. Sir, that would be around the time that Egeria permanently joined the program. This would make sense. We suddenly have someone working for us who will be giving us all kinds of valuable information and insights on the Goa'uld. The people behind this would see the advantages to having a pair of eyes and ears here." Sam's eyes widened. "General, if he's monitoring the camera feeds right now, he would have seen me find the bugs."

"Crap," Jack cursed. "We need to get down there now!"

As the general hurried to a phone to lock down the base entrances, Sam and the colonel dashed out of the commissary. When they got to the monitoring station, they saw that it wasn't Sawyer who was there.

"Where's Sawyer?" Jack barked out at the startled young Marine sitting in the chair.

"H-he left several minutes ago, sir. He said that he was sick and was going home."

The two members of SG-1 turned on their heels and ran to the elevator. They ascended to Level 11 and found out from the guard at the checkpoint that Sawyer had signed out just minutes ago.

"He wouldn't have made it to the main entrance in time to beat the lockdown," Sam said, "but he might have made it through the door on the mountaintop, if he hurried."

Up Sam and Jack continued, all the way up to the door at the top of the mountain. The guards there confirmed that Sawyer left through the door just before the call for the lockdown came.

Jack made a quick call to the general to cancel the lockdown so that he and Sam would be allowed to pass through the door. Grabbing a key off the board that was there for the vehicles parked outside, they rushed out the door and hopped into the jeep the key belonged to, then took off down the long, winding road that descended the mountain. It wasn't long before they spotted their quarry, who was on foot. As soon as he saw them, he put on an extra burst of speed and disappeared around a curve in the road. Seconds later, the two members of SG-1 heard the sound of squealing brakes, then an impact. When they made it around the curve, they came to a screeching halt. Sawyer was lying sprawled on the road in front of a Humvee, which had been making its way up the mountain. Two men had gotten out of the vehicle and were checking the airman.

"Sir, he ran right in front of us," one of the Marines said. "We couldn't stop in time. We've called for a medical team."

Jack and Sam knelt beside Sawyer. He was still alive, but was clearly badly injured. His eyes fluttered open, glazed and filled with pain.

Jack grabbed the front of the man's shirt. "Where's Daniel?" When he got no answer, he gave the man a tiny shake. "Where is he?"

Sawyer's eyes slid closed, and he lost consciousness.

Jack jumped to his feet. "Dammit!"

When the medical team arrived, Jack told them in no uncertain terms that they'd better keep Sawyer alive. The injured airman was rushed to the infirmary. Jack and Sam were there moments later, meeting up with Teal'c and Hammond. The general was quickly filled in on what happened.

The four people waited together for word of the spy's condition. Twenty minutes had passed when Janet came out.

"I'm afraid we lost him," she said. "We tried everything we could, but his injuries were too severe."

"Damn!" Jack ranted. "He was the only link we had to the people that have Daniel."

"Did he say anything at all before he died?" Sam asked hopefully.

Janet shook her head. "I'm afraid not."

"Doctor, I need you to examine the body for any kind of electronic device," Hammond told her.

"Yes, sir."

The general and the three SG-1 teammates went to the briefing room. After disposing of the bugs there and in the office, they sat at the table.

"It's unlikely that Sawyer had time to contact anyone and tell them that the bugs had been found," Sam said, "so the others wouldn't know yet that he was compromised. We need to make every effort to keep that knowledge from them for as long as possible."

"You fear that, once they learn, they may move Daniel Jackson and Egeria to another location," Teal'c surmised.

"That's if Sawyer knew where Daniel and Egeria were being kept. He might not have."

"Sawyer still had several hours to go before he would have gotten off-duty," Hammond said.

"We'll probably be okay for a while, then. But this is going to make it even more urgent that we find Daniel and Egeria soon."

* * *

Daniel didn't know when he started pacing. He had no memory of even getting to his feet. But, now that he _was_ pacing, he couldn't seem to stop, just as he couldn't stop the things that were filling his mind so full that it felt like it would burst open. A complete schematic for some alien device was laid out before his mind's eye, and the compulsion to get it down on paper was almost too strong to fight. A complex chemical formula, for what he did not know, was clawing at his brain to get out. The unrelenting need to get his hands on a computer was like that of an addict who had gone too long without a fix.

Daniel felt like he was going insane, like he was a boiler that was red-lining and would explode if the pressure wasn't vented soon. He was fast losing the ability to hold everything in, and, very soon now, his captors would discover what was going on.

That moment came ten minutes later when Daniel stumbled and went to his knees. One of the men hurried over. As soon as he saw the condition Daniel was in, he called to one of the others to get someone named Braddock. Daniel had enough awareness left to realize that Braddock was the man he'd named Mister Grey.

Braddock came running up to the archeologist. Seeing the almost wild look in the blue eyes, the shaking hands, he immediately guessed what was happening.

"The Ancient knowledge is coming through. We need to get him in the other room." He turned back to Daniel. "You've been trying to hide this from us, haven't you. That was not a smart move, Doctor Jackson."

Daniel said something back to him, but it was in Ancient, so he didn't understand.

Egeria was alarmed by Daniel's appearance when he was brought into the room where she had been unwillingly sharing her Goa'uld knowledge. He was pale, a slightly crazed look in his eyes. When he spied the computer, he made a dive for it. One of the other men moved to stop him, but Braddock told him to let Daniel be.

They all watched as the archeologist's fingers flew over the keyboard. Rows of ones and zeros began filling the monitor screen.

"He's writing in binary code," Braddock murmured in fascination, wondering what kind of computer program the archeologist was giving to them.

Daniel had been typing for only a few minutes when he jumped to his feet and hurried over to a blackboard and grabbed a piece of chalk. With frantic speed he began writing down the formula that had been demanding to be let out. As soon as it was done, he was back at the computer to finish what he'd been doing there. Next, came the schematic, sketched out on a large sheet of paper with blazing speed. Then the archeologist was at the large whiteboard that stretched the length of the room, writing a math equation that he didn't understand.

For the next two and a half hours, Daniel's frantic need to get out the things that had been piling up in his head drove him from computer, to paper, to whiteboard and back again. Egeria was terrified of what she was seeing, of the man she loved being swept helplessly along by the flow of Ancient knowledge.

At last, the flow slowed to a trickle, and Daniel halted. He stood swaying in the center of the room, looking like he was about to pass out. Egeria hurried to him and led him to a chair, into which he all but collapsed. He looked up at her and said something in Ancient.

She turned to Braddock. "He needs to rest. You cannot expect him to keep going like that."

Realizing that she was right, the man ordered that Daniel be taken to the sleeping quarters. He was laid on one of the beds. Egeria sat on the edge beside him, his hand clasped in both of hers.

"Daniel," she whispered in an anguished voice.

He met her gaze. "Egeria. Love tua."

The fact that he'd been able to speak a word in English gave her hope that he wasn't as far gone as she'd feared.

She stroked his face. "I love you, too, my Daniel. You must be strong and fight this. You must not let it take you."

"Try-ing," Daniel whispered. He then closed his eyes and plunged headlong into sleep.

* * *

Sam found no bugs in any of the other rooms she checked, which was of some comfort. Janet _had_ found something, however, a tiny earpiece inside Sawyer's ear, no doubt the thing that he used to hear the audio from the bugs, and a small device that Sam figured out would switch back and forth between the two different frequencies that the bugs would have broadcast on, enabling him to choose which one to listen to at any given time.

Once again, the three members of SG-1 were gathered in the briefing room with Hammond. Agent Barrett had called a few minutes ago with another update. They'd brought up the records of every van licensed in Colorado that matched the description of the one Daniel had been put in. Fortunately, dark-colored vans like the one the witness described weren't as common as white ones, so the list was a lot shorter than it could have been.

In going through the names of the owners, they found one that belonged to a rental company. A call to the company revealed that the van was rented on the very day that Daniel and Egeria were kidnapped. Unfortunately, the credit card that was used to rent the van belonged to a man who'd died three months ago. Another disappointment came when they checked if the rental company had GPS on the van and were told that it didn't, meaning that this was another dead end.

Sam had done a complete background check on Airman Joseph Sawyer and was presently sharing what she'd found.

"As General Hammond already knows, Sawyer was transferred to Stargate Command from Area 51, where he had been stationed for two years. Sawyer requested the transfer. I found something interesting in his financial records. A year ago, he'd gotten deeply in debt, mostly to credit card companies. Then, all of a sudden, he started making big payments on the cards. Nothing big enough to raise flags, but enough that he was debt-free within six months."

"He'd been recruited," Jack guessed.

Sam gave a nod. "That's what I'm figuring. They probably targeted him for recruitment because of his financial situation. Working at Area 51, he would have been a valuable asset to have."

"I'm thinking that somebody needs to start checking out the other people at Area 51. There's no telling how many others are working for these guys."

"I have to agree, Colonel," Hammond said. "I will be making that recommendation to my superiors. Unfortunately, I will also have to do the same for the personnel on this base. We cannot assume that Sawyer was the only person here who is a part of this."

"I really hope he was the only one," Sam said. "If he wasn't, the group has probably been alerted to the fact that Sawyer was found out."

"So, what else did you find out about the dearly departed Airman Sawyer?" Jack asked.

"In checking his phone records, I noticed a number that he called frequently, almost on a daily basis. It's a cell phone registered to a name that more checking revealed is fictitious. The mailing address for the name is a post office box. I'm hoping that we might manage to get some leads from this."

"Yeah, but how long is that going to take? Daniel is running out of time."

"I know, sir. Agent Barrett has put even more people on the case. They're doing everything they can to find Daniel and Egeria."

The four people were startled by a sudden flash of blue light, which heralded the arrival of Thor.

"Thor! Are we ever glad to see you," Jack said. "We've got a big problem."

"Your message to the Asgard said that it was a matter of great urgency. I would have arrived sooner, but I was dealing with another urgent matter."

"It's about Daniel. He was kidnapped and forced to interface with the Ancient repository."

"This is, indeed, grave news. We must immediately extract the knowledge from his mind."

"That's the problem," Sam told the Asgard. "We don't know where he is. The people who took him and Egeria are keeping them somewhere, and we don't know where. We believe they did this so that they can get some of the Ancient knowledge from him."

"You must strive to find him as quickly as possible. Our scientists have examined the scans of Doctor Jackson, and they have determined that, if he were to interface with one of the Ancient repositories, the knowledge would release into his consciousness at a far greater rate of speed than what occurred in O'Neill. It is unlikely that he would survive more than twenty-four of your hours."

The color drained from Sam's face. "Oh my God. It's already been over nineteen hours. That means that Daniel has less than five hours left. We'll never find him in time."

"Thor, there's gotta be something you can do to help find him," Jack said in a tone of desperation.

"Unfortunately, there is not, O'Neill. I would have no way to specifically locate Daniel Jackson among the millions of people residing in this area."

The eyes of Daniel's teammates met as they were hit with the reality that their friend was very likely going to die.

* * *

Daniel was able to sleep no more than an hour before the building pressure of the Ancient knowledge forced him into consciousness. He was taken back to the other room, where his struggle to record all the things filling his brain resumed. Braddock tried to get him to provide specific information, particularly on weapons, but the knowledge was pouring into Daniel's brain too rapidly for him to have any control over it. All anyone could do was stand back and let him work.

Egeria watched as her lover worked on a schematic that was so big that he was having to use two blueprint-size pieces of paper. For a normal person, the drawing would have taken days to complete, but Daniel's hands were moving with nearly inhuman speed. It was an awe-inspiring sight, but awe was not the emotion ruling Egeria, it was fear. Daniel appeared to no longer be capable of speech. When he needed to say something, he scribbled it down on a piece of paper. He was even paler than before, and he was clearly in pain.

Egeria's gaze went to the other men in the room, settling on the one named Braddock. There was a pleased expression on his face. Egeria wanted to remove that expression. She wanted to kill him. Hatred for him and all those he worked with was burning deep inside her. If she could get her hands on one of the guns here, she would shoot every one of them and feel not one shred of remorse.

Daniel had been working nonstop for over three hours when his legs abruptly gave out, and he went crashing to his hands and knees.

"Daniel!" Egeria cried, rushing to his side. She looked up at their captors. "Please! He has to rest! You have to give him something to make him rest!"

"That is out of the question," Braddock answered coldly. "Giving him a sedative would cost us too much time." He ordered a couple of the men to help Daniel to his feet and lay him on the couch in the seating/kitchen area. Egeria sat on the floor beside the couch, the archeologist's hand gripped tightly in hers. He was staring up at the ceiling with a vacant look that terrified her.

Her attention was drawn away by the sound of low voices, and she strained to hear the conversation going on between Braddock and one of the other men.

"Are we going to take them to the drop-off point?" the other man asked. "By the looks of Jackson, I don't think he's going to last much longer."

"No. We haven't heard from Sawyer that Thor has arrived, so it wouldn't do any good, even if I was willing to sacrifice what other things Jackson might give us before he's too far gone, which I'm not. We're getting a lot more from him than I could have hoped for based upon what Colonel O'Neill gave to the SGC."

Horror filled Egeria's mind. They were not going to fulfill their end of the agreement. They were going to drain Daniel of every last drop of information they could get from him, then let him die. No! She could not allow that to happen!

Egeria grasped Daniel's face in her hands, looking into his eyes. "Daniel," she whispered fiercely. "Daniel, please. You must hear me. They are going to let you die. You must fight them. You must do something and fight them."

Slowly, Daniel's eyes focused on her. "E-ger-ia," he gasped out.

She grabbed his hand and pressed it to her cheek. "Yes, my Daniel. It is Egeria, the one who loves you so greatly, whose heart will die if she loses you. Fight it, my love. You are strong. I know that you can do it."

Hearing her plea, Daniel's conscious mind fought to get out of the whirlpool of Ancient knowledge, but the flow was so powerful, like he was stardust caught in the gravity well of a black hole.

Daniel's struggle was interrupted by the return of Braddock, who, upon seeing that the archeologist's condition appeared to have improved, ordered him to be taken back to the recording room.

"No!" Egeria cried as she clutched at Daniel. "You cannot do this! You are killing him!"

"Get them on their feet," Braddock commanded.

Three men came forward. One of them grabbed Egeria and hauled her to her feet as the other two pulled Daniel off the couch.

"No!" Egeria screamed, fighting against the hands that held her. "No!"

The sound of Egeria's screams cut like a knife through the crushing weight of the Ancient knowledge and straight into Daniel's consciousness. He lifted his head to see the woman he loved drive her elbow into the ribs of the man holding her. Yelling in pain, the man dealt her a backhanded slap across the face.

At the sight of that blow, a scream of anger ripped from Daniel's throat. The entire sum of his rage focused upon the man who had struck Egeria – and in that rage was power. Something that felt like a gigantic invisible fist slammed into the man, shattering bones and tossing him back forty feet to smash violently against the far wall.

His mind crystal clear for the first time in hours, Daniel stared at the fallen man as understanding came to him. He lifted his gaze to Braddock. Within the grey depths of the man's eyes was a look of horrified realization. But that realization had come far too late for him to stop what was about to happen.

Daniel's mind blazing with determination, he turned his new-found power upon the two men holding him. They were hurled back to crash against the walls, the man who struck the partition wall snapping it in two with the force of his impact. Braddock and the other four men drew their weapons, but the guns were wrenched from their grasp and thrown to the other side of the warehouse, then all of them except for Braddock were launched through the air, striking cars, walls, and whatever else got in the way. None of them got up.

Daniel's gaze swivelled about to focus with unnerving intensity upon the only man left standing. The look in Braddock's eyes was now one of fear. The fear became terror as he felt something grab his throat. Choking and gasping, he clutched at his neck in a vain attempt to break the invisible grip. He was soon on his knees, his brain crying out for air.

And then, quite suddenly, utter blackness descended upon him.

Egeria watched as Braddock toppled limply to the floor. For a moment, she thought that Daniel had killed him, then she saw that he was still breathing.

Stunned and awed by what had just happened, the former Tok'ra queen turned her gaze to Daniel. He stood unmoving, eyes on Braddock. Those eyes then slowly lifted to her. The look in them was like nothing she had ever seen before, like she was getting a glimpse into all the knowledge of the universe.

Egeria's awe was transformed into horror as Daniel's eyes rolled back into his head, and he crumpled bonelessly to the floor.

"Daniel!"

She fell to her knees beside him, terrified that he was dead. But the faint rise and fall of his chest showed her that he was still clinging to life.

Knowing that Daniel needed immediate medical attention, Egeria scrambled over to Braddock's unconscious form and fumbled around in his pockets. She found his cell phone and frantically dialed the SGC's emergency number. As soon as the person who answered the phone found out who the caller was, he transferred the call straight to General Hammond's phone.

When Hammond heard Egeria's voice on the line, he jumped to his feet.

"Egeria! Where are you?"

"I do not know! We are in a large building, a warehouse of some kind. You must send help! Daniel is dying."

The fear and desperation in Egeria's voice told Hammond that the archeologist must be in bad shape. He yelled for his aide, who came running into the room. The general told him to contact the members of SG-1, whom he knew were gathered in Daniel's office, and get them there on the double. He then turned his full attention back to Egeria, asking her what their situation was.

"The men who captured us are all unconscious or dead. Daniel released the power of the Ancients on them. They could not stand against him."

Stunned by the revelation, Hammond told her that help would be there as quickly as possible.

SG-1 wasted no time getting to the general's office. When he told them that Egeria was on the phone and Daniel was in dire need of medical help, Sam's first thought was to see if the phone Egeria was using had GPS. And then another thought struck her.

"Thor can trace the call!" She turned to Jack. "Sir, the communicator!"

Jack pulled out the object that Thor had given them to contact him. He put it to his mouth, pushed the button and yelled into it. "Thor! Egeria's on the phone right now with Hammond. We need you to trace the call and find out where she is. She's with Daniel, and he's in really bad shape."

"I will beam him to my ship as soon as I have located them," the Asgard, who had been waiting in orbit, replied.

"Us too," Jack said.

Though only seconds passed after Jack said the words, it seemed like an eternity before Daniel's teammates found themselves onboard Thor's ship. They saw their friend lying unmoving on a table-like platform, his face utterly white. He didn't appear to be breathing. Beside him was Egeria, tears flowing down her cheeks.

"God," Jack choked out. "Thor, please don't tell us he's. . . ."

"Doctor Jackson is alive, but he is in very grave condition. I am now going to remove the Ancient knowledge and repair the damage to his brain, but I do not know if he will fully recover."

A blue beam of light swept over Daniel's head. His friends gathered around him, nearly holding their breath. Several seconds ticked by, then the archeologist's eyes fluttered open.

"Daniel?" Egeria inquired fearfully.

"Egeria," he whispered weakly.

"Hey," Jack said in a soft voice. "You all in there?"

"I . . . think so."

Daniel made a move to get up and was helped into a sitting position by Jack.

"Wow," the archeologist murmured. "That was . . . disconcerting."

Jack just stared at him. "Disconcerting?"

"It happened so fast. It took several hours for me to start speaking Ancient, but then it was like everything was thrown into fast forward." Daniel shook his head. "I couldn't control it. It was too much."

"It doesn't matter, Daniel," Sam told him. "What matters is that you're okay."

"You are very fortunate, Doctor Jackson," Thor said. "Because of the greater development of your brain, the process was greatly accelerated. If I had not removed the knowledge when I did, you would have been dead within minutes."

"So, what happened?" Jack asked the archeologist. "Hammond didn't explain. How did you get away from those guys?"

Daniel looked away. "We . . . didn't."

Sam frowned in puzzlement. "You didn't?"

Daniel lifted his gaze to Egeria's. In the blueness of his eyes, she saw regret for what he'd done. She took his hand in hers.

"Do not regret what you did, Daniel. They do not deserve your regret."

Now, it was Jack whose forehead was knit in puzzlement. "Regret for what?"

Daniel let out a sigh. "Thor, can you beam us to the warehouse? Some of them are probably still alive. I know that Braddock is."

"Daniel, what the hell hap—"

"pen. . . ." Jack's question, interrupted by the Asgard beaming them to the warehouse, died in his throat. His jaw dropped as he stared at the scene before him. Eight bodies were lying in various positions on the floor of the warehouse, smashed car windshields, shattered partitions, and other broken items painting a clear picture of what happened to them.

"Holy Hannah," Sam breathed. She turned her gaze to her best friend. "Daniel? You did this?"

"Yeah." The reply was soft and low.

Daniel eyes went to one man in particular. He didn't know how many of the others were alive, but he knew with certainty that this one was not. The man who struck Egeria had been hit by the full force of Daniel's wrath. He was likely dead even before he hit the wall.

Jack, Sam and Teal'c began checking the men out. A couple of them were just starting to stir. They and two others looked like they were in serious need of medical attention. Three were beyond help.

The only one who had escaped injury was Braddock. When Egeria identified him as the leader, Jack bound his hands with one the man's own shoe laces, tight enough that, if he was conscious, he would be in considerable pain.

Sam had contacted Thor and told him to give their position to General Hammond so that teams could be sent there. As she looked around at the destruction, she had to wonder exactly what happened. Apparently, the download had enabled Daniel to tap into some kind of psychic ability, and he turned it with deadly force upon his and Egeria's captors. If not for that, he would now very likely be dead. Yet again, Daniel Jackson had pulled a rabbit out of his hat and saved the day.

The astrophysicist began going through the rooms in the warehouse. When she got to one in particular, her mouth fell open, eyes widening dramatically.

Jack came up to her. "What are you gaping at, Carter?" Then he saw it for himself. "Whoa. What the heck is all that?"

Her mouth still open, Sam stepped into the room and looked around. There was not one section of wall that wasn't covered in writing of some kind, math equations blending into complex chemical formulas, which, in turn, blended into hastily scrawled text that was a mixture of English, Ancient and what looked like it might be an Arabic language. The table was littered with various schematics, blueprints, and other drawings. Sam's eyes fell upon the computer, wondering what would be found on it.

"Daniel did this?" Jack asked.

"He must have. Wow. By what Thor said, we knew that he might have greater access to the Ancient knowledge, but this is incredible. And he did all of this in just a few hours. What could he have done if he'd had a few days?" Sam looked through the drawings. "I can't even begin to guess what some of these things are."

"Well, I'm sure that you and the eggheads on base will have lots of fun finding out. Let's just not forget that these things almost cost Daniel his life."

Sam nodded soberly. She and Jack left the room and went to the man who had yet again escaped death by the skin of his teeth. Daniel's head was lying on the couch's backrest, his eyes closed.

"Hey, you okay?" Jack asked. He looked at Egeria. "Is he okay?"

"He is very tired. I am weary as well."

"Well, you guys should have said something. We can have Thor beam you right to your quarters, and you can get some sleep."

"I suspect that Janet would have something to say about that," Daniel mumbled, not opening his eyes.

"Yeah, you're probably right. The little power monger."

Egeria encouraged Daniel to lie down on the couch. With his head in her lap, he was asleep in a matter of seconds. She sat gazing at him, her fingers running through his hair as she gloried in the fact that he was alive.

"He suffered greatly," she murmured to the two people who looked on. "The Ancient knowledge was like a fire inside him, mercilessly driving him. I do not ever want to see that happen to him again."

"Well, it's all gone now, thanks to Thor, so we don't have to worry," Jack told her. "And the sooner that repository is shipped off to Area 51, the better I'll like it. I don't ever want to lay eyes on it or another one of those things again."

Daniel was still asleep when the teams from the SGC arrived. By that time, Braddock had awakened and was sitting bound to a chair. Not surprisingly, he was refusing to talk.

"Maybe we should let Daniel have at you again," Jack remarked. "Judging by those bruises on your neck, I'm guessing that you got a nice taste of how he is when he's really, really angry and all juiced up on Ancient knowledge. Three of your guys are dead. The rest aren't in any great shape either. You have no one but yourselves to blame for this, you know. You should have known better than to mess with something you really didn't know anything about. Maybe next time you'll think twice. Oh, that's right. There won't be a next time, not for you. By the way, Sawyer's dead, too. We found out about him and the bugs he placed. He tried to make a run for it and came out the loser in an altercation with a Humvee."

Braddock remained stonily silent. Jack wondered if Thor might have a handy little doohickey that would make him talk.

It was no surprise to anyone that, once they got back to the base, Daniel was told to go straight to the infirmary. Janet gave him a thorough exam, including an MRI, all of which showed that, other than being exhausted, he was all right. Her "prescription" for him was to go to bed and not do any work tomorrow. Because of the late hour, Hammond put off the debriefing until the morning.

Even with the nap he'd taken at the warehouse, Daniel was just about dead on his feet by the time he and Egeria got to his quarters, the hours spent in the grip of the Ancient knowledge having sapped his energy. Egeria helped him strip to his boxers, then got him under the covers. By the time she joined him in bed, he was already asleep.

For a long time, she gazed at his sleeping face, trying not to think about how horribly close he came to dying. She had almost lost him today. But, yet again, he had beaten the odds and survived, and that's what really mattered.

* * *

The debriefing took place early the next morning. It was difficult for Daniel to describe the things he experienced while in the grip of the Ancient language. There were gaps in his memory, especially toward the end, and Egeria filled them in as well as she was able by recounting what Daniel did.

"Copies have been made of all the things you wrote on the walls and blackboard," Sam told the archeologist, "and we've got the computer and drawings. It could take weeks, maybe even months to figure out some of the things. Just the math alone is going to take a while. I suppose that you can't tell us what any of it is."

"I wish I could, but it's all gone from my head. To be honest, even when I was writing it down, I didn't know what a lot of the stuff was."

When Daniel got to the point in the narration where he discovered his telekinetic ability, he had a hard time keeping the image of the broken body of the man he killed out of his mind. This wasn't the first human he'd killed. It wasn't even the first one he'd killed up close. The problem was the way he did it and the reason why. Every time he'd killed in the past, it had been on a mission or to save his own life or the life of someone else. Never before had he killed in anger. He could make the excuse that he hadn't been in full control of his mental faculties, but that didn't change the fact that he took the lives of three men last night.

"Can you explain how it is that you gained such an ability?" Hammond asked.

"We know that, when Jack had the Ancient knowledge, activity in his brain went up to ninety-five percent, many times higher than the average person. There are a lot of people who believe that all humans possess latent psychic abilities. We just lack the capacity to tap into them. Many believe that, when we are further along on our evolutionary path, psychic abilities will become quite commonplace. I think that the dramatically increased activity in my brain enabled me to tap into abilities that I would normally be unable to."

"How come I wasn't able to do things like that when I had all that stuff in my head?" Jack asked.

"For all we know, you could. You just didn't have a reason to use them."

"So, can you still do it? I have to say that it sure would come in handy on missions."

"Afraid not, Jack. When Thor extracted the knowledge, the telekinesis went with it."

Those words where barely out of Daniel's mouth when the Asgard abruptly appeared in the room.

"Thor buddy!" Jack greeted. "I didn't know you were still hanging around."

"I wished to know the outcome of the events surrounding Doctor Jackson's kidnapping and forced interface with the Ancient repository."

"Well, everything worked out just fine. We got all the bad guys, at least the ones who were keeping Daniel and Egeria prisoners, and we're hoping that the ones we question will give us information on this group or organization they belong to. On top of that, Daniel here gave us a whole bunch of Ancient goodies that the scientists are going to have all kinds of fun figuring out. Thanks, by the way, for taking all that stuff out of his head and saving his life."

"You are welcome, O'Neill. However, I must clarify that I only removed what Doctor Jackson received from the repository. The knowledge in his subconscious is still intact."

The announcement surprised everyone.

"I thought you took everything," Daniel said.

"No. There was no need to attempt to remove the Ancient knowledge stored in your subconscious since it was not what was causing the problem."

"So, he's still got a copy of all that stuff buried in his brain?" Jack asked.

"Yes."

Everyone exchanged a glance with Daniel.

"I really don't think we have to worry about it," Sam said. "It's been there since he descended and hasn't caused a problem yet. If it was going to, it would have started leaking out by now."

"I must also inform you that the Asgard High Council has denied your request for aid in retrieving some of the knowledge in the Ancient repository since we could not control what information you retrieved. However, they have agreed to share with you some of the information that we gathered."

Not surprised by the first decision but pleasantly surprised by the second, Hammond and SG-1 thanked Thor. After telling them that the Asgard would contact them again once it had been decided what information would be shared, Thor bid them goodbye. The debriefing was called to an end a few minutes later, and everybody went off their separate ways.

As Daniel entered his office, his gaze fell upon the repository. Someone had covered the opening back up, for which he was glad.

"Someone should have taken that thing out of here," said Jack's voice behind him.

Daniel glanced over his shoulder at the man. "It's going off to Area 51 today, so there would be no point in moving it somewhere else before they come to box it up."

"So, it doesn't bother you having it here?"

Daniel paused before replying. "Maybe a little. It's not to blame for what happened to me. It's just an unthinking piece of technology that did what it was designed to do. It didn't make me put my head in it."

"No, we have Braddock and the rest of those guys to blame for that."

Daniel walked all the way up to the repository. "When I had all that Ancient knowledge in my mind, and it felt like it was tearing my sanity apart, I realized how naive I'd been when I wanted to take the download. I had thought that it would be a simple thing, take the download, tap into the knowledge like you did, and then have Thor remove it before things went too far. I knew that there was a vast amount of knowledge in those repositories. I _knew_ that."

"But you didn't _really_ know it," Jack said in a soft voice.

"Yeah. Having it all inside my head was a real eye-opener."

"Well, sometimes it takes personal experience for somebody to really see something."

"Yeah. There is one thing, though, that I do wish I'd been able to do while I had that knowledge."

"Which is?"

"Find the lost city. It's still out there somewhere, and we still don't know where it is."

"We'll find it someday, Daniel. The important thing is that you're still around to help us find it." Jack tugged at Daniel's shirt. "Come on. I know you haven't had breakfast yet. I'm buying."

Smiling slightly, Daniel looked at him. "The commissary food is free."

Jack's lips curled upward in a matching smile. "Well, it's the thought that counts."


	31. Chapter 31

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

The repository was gone, on its way to Area 51 under heavy guard, no one willing to take the chance that the people behind Daniel's kidnapping would try to steal it.

Daniel was now looking at all the things he did while under the influence of the Ancient knowledge. Since he'd have no hope of making head nor tales of the schematics, math equations, formulas and other such things, he was focusing on the text he'd written, translating everything into English.

Sam came walking in. "How's it going?"

"Good. How about you? Figure out anything yet?"

"Oh, I'm making headway on some of the math. We're considering building some of the things you drew schematics for. The guys at Area 51 are just about drooling over that and the programs you wrote on the computer. The formulas are trickier. It isn't exactly safe experimenting with a chemical formula when you have no idea what it does."

"Yeah, you wouldn't want to blow anything up or poison someone."

"We're going to have some chemists take a look at them." Sam shook her head. "It really amazes me how much you did in such a short time. I wouldn't have thought it was humanly possible."

"To be honest, there were times when I wasn't exactly feeling human. It was . . . pretty terrifying at times."

Sam looked at his monitor screen. "You getting all that stuff translated?"

"Yes, but some of it still doesn't make sense, like this here." He pointed at the screen.

Sam read it. "Praclaurus Taonas."

"According to my Medieval Latin dictionary, the best translation I can come up with is 'lost in fire'."

"What's lost in fire?"

"I have no idea."

Sam suddenly thought of something. "Wait a minute. Aren't you under medical orders not to work today?"

"Yeah. I, um, sort of begged Janet to rescind that order. I told her I'd go nuts if I just sat around and did nothing today, and Jack doesn't want to let me off the base until the repository is at Area 51. I think he's a little paranoid that the people behind the kidnapping might try again. I pointed out that, considering what happened, they would have to be idiots to try it again, but he insisted."

"I can understand that. We were all worried sick about you, especially after Thor told us that it was unlikely that you'd survive more than twenty-four hours." Not wanting to dwell on that, Sam smiled. "Well, I'll let you get back to what you were doing. Don't work too hard, okay?"

"I'll try not to."

It turned out that Egeria had no intention of letting Daniel work hard that day. After lunch, she insisted that he take a long break and dragged him back to his quarters. She gave his neck and shoulders a massage, which felt wonderful. She then headed off to the bathroom, telling him she'd be back in a moment.

She'd been in there a couple of minutes when Daniel called out, "I really should get back to work, Egeria. I want to finish translating that text from the warehouse. There might. . . ."

Daniel's voice trailed off in a little gasp as Egeria exited the bathroom. What she was wearing was not one of the items of lingerie that she modeled for Daniel, which made complete sense since the white fabric was quite sheer and left absolutely nothing to the imagination.

Daniel's respiration climbed as his eyes ran over Egeria's form, his body instantly starting to react to the sight. She slowly walked toward him, a little smile on her face. When she reached him, she climbed up onto the bed and straddled his lap.

"So, my Daniel," she purred as she ran a hand up and down his chest. "Do you still wish to return to work?"

"Not on your life," Daniel wholeheartedly answered as he yanked Egeria's mouth to his.

Quite some time later, the two lay satiated and intertwined amidst a tangle of sheets, their clothing scattered about the room. The sheen of perspiration on their bodies testified to the energy they'd expended during their intense love-making.

"You know, we really shouldn't be doing this here on base in the middle of the day," Daniel remarked. "It's kind of risky."

"Perhaps, but what is life if you do not take risks every now and then? Besides, if you had followed Doctor Fraiser's original edict, you would not be working today." Egeria's expression became serious. "I could not wait until tonight to feel your body within mine, to feel you alive and vital in my arms."

Daniel realized that this had to do with what happened to him.

"Egeria. . . ."

"I almost lost you, Daniel. As you lay dying on that floor, I wished that you had never saved my consciousness, for, if you had not, then those men could not have used me to force you into doing something that was taking your life."

"Shhh. Don't say that, Egeria. This was in no way your fault. Even if you hadn't been there, they would have figured out a way to get me to do what they wanted, maybe by kidnapping Sam or somebody else I care about." Daniel pulled her close, tucking her head under his chin. "I was scared, too. I kept thinking about what would happen if I died. Those people would have been responsible for my death, and they'd have known that Jack, Sam and Teal'c wouldn't have rested until they were caught. You would have been a witness, able to identify them. They couldn't have let you live."

"I love you so very much, Daniel," Egeria murmured. "You are my life."

"I feel the same way, Egeria. I want to spend my life with you. I want to marry you."

The instant the words were out if his mouth, Daniel froze. _'Oh, crap. Did I just say that aloud?'_ The look in Egeria's wide eyes as she lifted her head and looked at him confirmed that he had.

"I-I-I'm sorry, Egeria," he stammered. "I didn't mean that. I-I mean, I _do_ mean it, but I didn't mean to say it. I know that—"

The rest of his sentence was quite effectively cut off by Egeria's mouth on his.

"Yes, I will marry you," she said after releasing his lips.

"But, Egeria, we've only been together for—" Another kiss silenced his words yet again.

"Yes, I will marry you," the former queen repeated after breaking the second lip lock.

"But—" When she dove in for a third kiss, Daniel managed to block her with his hand. "Let me say this. Please." He took her hands and held them between his as he gazed into her eyes. "I love you with all my heart. I want to spend the rest my life with you, and I know that will never change. But marriage is a big step. We shouldn't rush into it. When I married Sha're, I really didn't have a say in the matter. I didn't even know we were married until the next day." He brushed his fingers over her cheek. "I do want to marry you. That wasn't a lie. But I don't want it to be a hasty decision we make because we've just been through an emotional, traumatic experience. It's too important for that. Can you understand what I'm saying?"

"I understand your words, Daniel, but you must understand something as well. When I fell in love with you over two thousand years ago, I wanted you to be forever at my side. I wanted you to be my husband and my king, to rule Estrania with me. For me, the thought of marrying you is not something new. It is a part of the hopeless dream I had for all those years." She cupped his cheek. "I understand if you need time, Daniel, for, compared to me, you are new to these feelings, but I need no time. I would marry you tomorrow and never regret it for a single instant."

Daniel stared into her eyes. "You would, wouldn't you."

"Yes." She smiled at him. "I will wait for you to decide when the time is right for you, but know that, from this moment on, in my heart, we are already betrothed."

* * *

An hour later, Daniel was back in his office, but he wasn't working. He was restlessly moving about, never sitting for more than a few minutes. Shortly after making her declaration, Egeria had dozed off, and he just laid there, thinking about what she said. He could see things from her point of view. She'd loved him for centuries, so it didn't really matter to her that they'd been a couple for such a short while. _He_ was the one with the issues.

So, what exactly were his issues? It's not that he thought that, if they got married, he'd regret it later on. He knew that he wouldn't. He wholeheartedly believed that their marriage would be a happy one. Oh, he had no illusions that it would always be smooth-sailing. Their little tiff last week proved that there would be arguments. That was inevitable when two strong-willed people were in a relationship. But he felt confident that they would always be able to work out their differences.

The real problem was the speed at which it was happening. When he and Sarah started dating, she pushed the relationship forward very quickly even though he had wanted to take things more slowly. She was also a little hung up on anniversaries, insisting that they should celebrate each monthly anniversary of their first date. When he forgot on the second one because he was busy working, she was furious and broke off the relationship. After that, he vowed that, the next time he got involved with a woman, things would be taken more slowly.

But then the events on Abydos happened, and he suddenly found himself married without having had the luxury of consenting to the marriage or even getting to know the woman first. He never regretted being married to Sha're and would happily have spent his life with her, but he sometimes wished that he'd had the opportunity to go through the courtship process first. And he would like to have had a ceremony of some kind rather than her just coming to his tent and starting to take off her clothes.

So, here he was now, having inadvertently proposed to a woman he'd been dating for only five weeks, a woman who had come back into his life not much more than two months ago. He didn't want everything to be rushed like it was with Sarah and Sha're, yet, at the same time, he already knew that marriage to Egeria was what he wanted, and she had made it clear that she was ready to marry him now. He really didn't know what he should do.

Daniel's gaze went to the telephone. He stared at it for several seconds before picking it up and dialing a certain number, not really expecting an answer. He was quite surprised when the phone was picked up.

"Jack?" he said, his surprise in his voice.

"Yes. Why do you sound so surprised? It is my office that you called."

"Yes, but you're rarely there."

"I had some paperwork to do, and it's a little crowded in the commissary right now."

"Oh."

"So, why are you calling my office?"

"I, um . . . I need some advice." When the announcement was greeted with utter silence, he thought that the call had been disconnected. "Are you still there?"

"Yeah. I just had to pick myself up off the floor."

Not appreciating the remark, Daniel said, "Never mind. I should have known this was a bad idea."

"No, go ahead and. . . . Daniel?" Realizing that the archeologist had hung up, Jack cursed and replaced the receiver. He shouldn't have said what he did. He'd heard the tension in Daniel's voice, but just couldn't resist getting in a little barb. For the first time in his memory, his best friend had freely come to him for advice, and he blew it. So, what was he going to do now?

Jack left his office and went straight to Daniel's. He found his friend typing on the computer furiously, a deep frown on his face.

"I'm sorry."

Daniel started violently, turned to him, then looked away.

"I shouldn't have said that," Jack told him. "I was being an ass."

"So, what else is new?" Daniel muttered.

Jack came further into the room. "Okay, I guess I deserve that." He grabbed a chair and pulled it over to the desk. "You wanted my advice. Well, I'm here to give it, if you're still willing to talk to me."

Daniel was silent for a long moment. "I just proposed to Egeria."

Jack blinked. "You really don't believe in long courtships, do you."

"It wasn't intentional. It just came blurting out of my mouth. Proposing to her was most definitely not something I was planning on doing. After I said it, I tried to take it back."

"You . . . tried to take it back?"

"Well, no, not really. I didn't actually try to take it back. Of course I didn't. I told her that I meant it, but that it was too soon, that marriage wasn't something to be rushed into."

"This coming from the guy who married a girl three hours after he met her." The glare Daniel shot him told Jack that the archeologist was not amused. "Go on."

Daniel told Jack what Egeria said to him.

"So, now, you don't know what to do," Jack guessed. "Egeria's all rarin' to walk down the aisle with you, but your logical self is telling you that it's way too soon for that."

Daniel sighed. "Pretty much."

"And yet you were being sincere when you said that you wanted to marry her."

"Yeah."

"Okay, so let me ask you this. Let's say that you flew off to Vegas tomorrow and got hitched. Would you regret it later on?"

"Yes," Daniel replied. "Not the marriage itself, but, yes, I'd regret doing it like that. I know that a lot of people do that, but, to me, it would . . . cheapen it somehow."

"You want the whole ball of wax, wedding dress and tux, a couple hundred guests, a reception where you mash cake into each other's faces."

"Not the cake mashing part, no."

"But all the rest."

"Yes, I guess I do."

Jack thought about that. "Interesting role reversal going on there. It's usually the woman who wants the big wedding and the guy who'd be happy to skip all that and elope."

"Is that the way it was for you and Sara?"

"Yep. At one point, I was certain that we were going to get hopelessly buried under all the things that needed doing for the wedding, and I almost got down on my knees and begged her to elope instead."

"But you didn't."

"No, because I knew how important the wedding was to her. As you can see, I survived the planning and preparation stage, though I may have lost some of my sanity in the process."

"Okay, so what do you think I should do? Listen to my common sense and wait or do what Egeria wants and not wait?"

"Well, let's look at the pros and cons for tossing out common sense and not waiting. Pro. Egeria can move into your house right away, and you guys won't have to be quiet anymore while having sex."

Jack's blunt comment made Daniel's cheeks color.

"Con. If you ran off to Vegas and eloped, Carter would string you up for cheating her out of being at the wedding, that is unless you invited me and her along."

Daniel stared at him. "Sam _and_ you?"

"Hell, yes. You try getting married without me there, and I'll hurt you severely."

Daniel smiled slightly at the comment. "And Teal'c?"

"Oh, there's no question that he'd have to be there, too. He'd give you the frown of death if he wasn't."

"Okay, so the elopement has now turned into a service with a best man, a maid of honor and a groomsman."

"And a bridesmaid," Jack corrected. "If you didn't invite Fraiser, she'd do all kinds of horrid things to you after you got back."

"True."

"And you can't leave Cassie out."

"No, of course not. She's too old to be the flower girl, though."

"General Hammond would probably be quite hurt if he wasn't invited, and do I really have to go into what Catherine would say if you didn't invite her?"

"Catherine doesn't even know about Egeria yet, Jack," Daniel told him.

"Doesn't matter. She wouldn't speak to you for six months if you went off and got hitched without inviting her."

"All right. The count is now up to seven people there besides me, Egeria and the minister. It's sounding a lot less like an elopement and more like a regular wedding."

"No, with a regular wedding, there's the cake, the flower arrangements, the food, agonizing over who to invite and not invite, sending out invitations and waiting for all the RSVPs, the dresses, the tuxes . . . and going into debt for the next five years."

"I stand corrected," Daniel said. "You're making a great case for elopement, Jack. Or would it be semi-elopement?"

"Semi-elopement? Is there such a thing?"

"The elopement has seven other people so far. Sounds pretty semi to me."

"You do have a point," Jack conceded.

"Can we get back to the pros and cons now?"

"Sure thing. Now, where were we? Pro or con?"

"Beats me."

"Okay, pro, then. No, wait. Let's go with a con. I think not having to deal with all that stuff I mentioned is definitely on the pro side. Con. You wouldn't have a big photo album of wedding pictures to show your kids and grandkids. I got particular enjoyment out of showing Charlie the photo of Sara's Uncle Ralph doing a face plant into the potato salad after tripping over her wedding gown."

"Egeria doesn't have an uncle, or at least not one who would be showing up at the wedding."

"God, Daniel. Don't get my brain started on thinking about a bunch of Goa'uld relatives dropping in unexpectedly for the free food and booze at the reception. That is just plain terrifying."

"Sorry."

"And, no, all her kids can't come either," Jack stated firmly.

"Don't you think that some of them might be a little put out if we don't even invite them?"

"Okay, you can invite Jacob and maybe Aranae, but that's it."

Daniel's eyebrows went up a tad. "Jack?"

"What?"

"Whose wedding is this?"

"Yours, of course. Have you forgotten already?"

Daniel just stared at him.

It occurred to Jack what the reason for the stare was. "Okay, fine. If you're determined to send invitations to all the Tok'ra, then be my guest, but don't come whining to me later on when the liquor bill reaches the five figure mark."

"The Tok'ra don't drink."

"They don't? Well, that explains a lot."

Daniel rolled his eyes. "Getting off track again."

"Yes. Right. Um, pro, then. If you two are thinking about having kids, you can just dive right into making that happen, and I can say from experience that the making it happen part is oodles of fun, which is a good thing because dealing with a pregnant woman for all those months is most definitely _not_ oodles of fun a great deal of the time."

"You just took the pro back."

"I did?"

"If dealing with a pregnant woman is such a nightmare, why would I want to rush into it?"

"Uhhhh . . . good point," Jack admitted. "Okay, so that was both a pro and a con. I'm losing track now."

"And I'm losing my mind."

"No, you can't do that until you're in the third month of the wedding planning."

"I think that was a pro, Jack, maintaining my sanity."

The colonel smiled. "Hey, you're right. Back to the cons, then."

"Do we have to? I'm starting to think that I'd have gotten more succinct advice from the three stooges."

"Ha ha. You're a riot, Daniel. One more con, then we're done. You wouldn't get stacks of wedding gifts. But then, since half of them would likely be toasters, that might also be considered a pro."

Daniel heaved an impatient sigh.

"No! Wait, wait, wait! I thought of another con, a real one. I couldn't throw you a bachelor party."

"And would there be a skimpily-clad woman popping out of a cake at the party?"

Jack paused. "Maybe."

"Sorry, Jack. Then that's a pro, not a con."

"Oh, you're just no fun at all, Daniel."

"I'd be marrying a woman who used to be a Goa'uld, Jack, and you think that having a skimpily-clad woman at my bachelor party would be a good idea?"

The colonel opened his mouth to say something, then really thought about what the younger man had said. "Daniel, you are a wise, wise man."

"Yep. So, are we done with the advice now?"

"I suppose so."

"That's good, because I have absolutely no idea what your advice really was."

"Too subtle for you?"

Daniel toyed with the idea of wrapping his hands around Jack's throat, but decided that, if he was going to kill the man, it would have to be from a distance so that Jack couldn't fight back.

"Okay, you really want to know what I think?" Jack asked.

"You mean to say that you actually have some advice?"

Jack ignored the remark. "Split the difference."

"Huh?"

"Make it a short engagement and plan a very small, simple wedding. If you don't get into all the bells and whistles and keep the guest list under fifty, you can have a real wedding without the tons of headaches and months of planning. Egeria will be happy because she doesn't have to wait six months to make you her hubby, but you'll feel that you aren't cheapening anything and a bit less like you're rushing headlong into the marriage."

Daniel just sat in silence for a while, stunned that Jack had actually given him some decent advice.

"Can I ask you something?" he finally asked.

"Sure."

"Why the hell didn't you say that in the first place?"

"What, and pass up the only opportunity I might ever have to totally confuse you? You've been confusing me for going on seven years, Daniel. It was my turn."

Daniel's blue gaze gained a few degrees in temperature. "You might want to take out that extra life insurance now, Jack," he said, referring to a comment of the colonel's about the way that Daniel was glaring at the Marine who'd made sexually insulting remarks about him and Egeria.

"No, you can't kill me yet. I have to be your best man, remember?"

"Teal'c can be my best man."

"Oh, come on, Daniel. Teal'c wouldn't even begin to know how to throw a bachelor party."

"Well, then at least I wouldn't have to worry about any skimpily-clad women jumping out of something. Sounds good to me."

The colonel decided that a quick retreat might be a wise course of action. He got up from the chair and took a step backwards toward the door.

"Think of Egeria, Daniel," he said. "You wouldn't want her to have a jailbird husband, would you?"

"I have a genius level I.Q., Jack. I bet I could plan a murder and get away with it."

_'Yes, he probably could at that,'_ Jack silently agreed. "Was that my name I heard being called over the P.A.? Sorry. Gotta go."

Daniel watched the grey-haired man hurry out of the room.

"I suppose I shouldn't kill him," he murmured. "I'd have to go through all the hassle of training another colonel. On the other hand, they'd probably make Sam the team leader."

* * *

That night as he and Egeria got ready for bed, Daniel's mind was on what he was about to do. He slipped under the covers with Egeria, but instead of turning off the light, he propped himself up on an elbow and looked down at her.

"There's something I want to ask you," he said.

"Oh? What do you wish to ask?"

He took her hands in both of his and looked straight into her eyes. "Egeria, mother and former queen of the Tok'ra, will you marry me?"

Realizing what the formally spoken question meant, Egeria gave him a smile of purest joy.

"Yes," she replied, nearly laughing with happiness. "Yes, I will marry you, my beloved Daniel."

Daniel pulled her into his arms and brought his lips to hers in a very long kiss.

"Now, don't get it into your head that we're going to get married tomorrow," he said as their lips separated. "I want to do this properly, with a real wedding."

"Yes, my Daniel."

"I've been giving it some thought, and I figure that a couple of months should give us enough time to plan a small, simple service."

"Yes, my Daniel."

"I don't have many friends outside of the SGC and you don't have any, so there isn't going to be a big hassle with sending out invitations. As for relatives, I have none that I'd invite, and, except for some of the Tok'ra, I think that inviting any members of _your_ family would be a very bad idea."

"Yes, my Daniel."

The archeologist paused and looked at the woman who was now his fiancee. "Is that all you plan on saying while I spout off all these things?"

"No, my Daniel." Egeria pulled him down to lie fully on the bed, then she slid on top of him and quite purposefully ground her hips against his. He gave a little moan and clutched at her. "I also wish to ask when you will stop speaking so that I can pleasure you until you are no longer even capable of speech."

"Shutting up now," Daniel responded before pulling her mouth down to his.


	32. Chapter 32

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Janet was a little puzzled when Daniel asked her to join SG-1 and Egeria for breakfast. Nevertheless, she agreed.

Once they'd all taken seats and were getting started on their meals, Daniel cleared his throat.

"Egeria and I have something to tell all of you. I know it's an odd place to make this kind of announcement, but . . . we're engaged."

Around three seconds of silence followed the announcement, everyone except Jack having been taken by surprise. And then both Sam and Janet began smiling brightly.

"Daniel, this is wonderful!" Sam cried. "Congratulations!"

"I second that," Janet said.

"I, too, am quite pleased by this news," Teal'c declared.

"I already knew this was coming," said Jack, "but I'll throw in my congratulations, too."

"So, have you decided on a date yet?" Sam asked.

"Not an exact date, but it'll be sometime in early October."

"Two months? That's not much time to plan a wedding."

"It'll be enough time for ours. Small and simple is what we want. We really don't have a lot of people we'd invite."

Jack smirked. "Ah, so you won't be inviting all of the Tok'ra after all, eh?"

"No, Jack. If we did that, we'd have to have it at the Tok'ra base, which is not exactly a romantic setting."

"Oh, I don't know about that. I bet candlelight would make those tunnels quite pretty. Hang up a few garlands here and there, set up a lattice arbor. I can see it. And on that subject, when are you going to spring the happy news on them?"

"I figured that they're going to have to be contacted and told about what happened, especially about all the Ancient stuff that came out of my head. You can bet they're going to want to take a look at it."

Sam gave a nod. "They might be able to help figure out some of it."

"That will be as good a time as any to tell them about the engagement."

The Tok'ra were contacted a little later that morning. They were dismayed by the news of the kidnapping and the reason for it, but were excited about the Ancient knowledge that Daniel had provided and said that they'd send someone through to take a look.

Jacob and two scientists arrived a couple of hours later. As the scientists went to Sam's lab, Jacob detoured to Egeria's.

"Selmak, Jacob," the former queen greeted with a pleased smile. She came forward and gave the Tok'ra a hug.

"We were told about the kidnapping," Selmak said. "Are you and Daniel all right?"

"Yes, we are now, but Daniel came very close to dying."

Selmak got the entire harrowing story from her, including how their kidnapping was brought to an end.

"I was so frightened," Egeria confessed. "I thought that I was going to lose him."

Jacob was the one who responded, shaking his head. "I don't think I've ever met anyone who has escaped death by the skin of his teeth as many times as Daniel has. He's got more lives than a cat. I assume that the telekinetic ability was lost when Thor removed the Ancient knowledge."

"Yes, it is gone," Egeria smiled, "a fact that did not displease Daniel. He said that having such an ability would make his life even more complicated than it already is."

"I can understand that."

Egeria smiled. "I do not wish to talk of that, not when I have such joyful news for you."

Jacob studied her beaming countenance. Selmak took over the conversation. "What joyful news is this?"

"My beloved Daniel has asked for my hand in marriage, and I have accepted."

Surprised, the Tok'ra did not respond for a moment, then he smiled. "I am very happy for you, Mother, especially knowing how long you have wanted to be with him. I have to say, though, that Daniel certainly appears to be a man who does not waste time when it comes to these things."

Egeria laughed. "Well, there is a story behind that, but it is not my place to tell it. If you ask him, Daniel may tell you."

Jacob resumed control. "So, when is the happy day? Or do you not have a date yet?"

"There is no precise date set yet, though it will be in two months."

"Two months? I hope you two have some clue about what you're getting into. Planning a wedding is no easy task."

"Perhaps not, but I will enjoy every moment of it. I have wanted this for over two thousand years, and, now that it is finally happening, I cannot wait for that day to arrive."

They talked for a while longer, then Jacob went down to Sam's lab, where the other two Tok'ra were busy looking at a pile of technical drawings.

"Dad. I didn't know you were here, too," Sam said, giving him a hug.

"Yeah, I just stopped by to see Egeria first. She gave me the good news."

Sam grinned. "Isn't it great? I can only imagine how happy she is."

Jacob smiled as well. "It's going to be quite some news to the Tok'ra. Selmak and I are going to tell Aranae personally. We want to be present to see her jumping around like a little kid who's been told that she's going to Disneyland." He turned his attention to the table, his eyes scanning the drawings. "Wow. Daniel did all of this in one day?"

"In just a few hours, actually, and he did a lot more than that. You should see the math equations and chemical formulas, not to mention the computer programs. I honestly don't know how it would be humanly possible for anyone to do so much in so short a time. Egeria said that he was working so fast that it was almost impossible to believe even while watching him do it."

The phone rang, and Sam went to answer it. It turned out to be a request for her to come to the briefing room. Telling her father that she'd be back in a while, the major went to see what this was all about. She found her three teammates already there.

"First of all, Doctor Jackson has told me about his and Egeria's engagement, and I want to express my congratulations," the general said. His expression sobered. "Unfortunately, I have some disturbing news. All of the men who were captured at the warehouse are dead."

The new shocked everyone.

"How?" Daniel asked.

"The four hospitalized men were poisoned, most likely by something injected in their IV's. As for Mister Braddock, he was found dead in his cell. The cause of his death has not yet been determined. Just this morning, the president gave a green light to the use of chemical interrogation on the five men, agreeing that the seriousness of the situation outweighed the ethical considerations."

"Whoever is behind all of this must have been afraid that one or more of those guys would talk," Jack guessed.

Hammond nodded. "This, of course, raises the question of who tipped them off."

"My money's on Kinsey."

"As chairman of the Intelligence Oversight Committee, Senator Kinsey would have been informed of the president's decision."

"So, this means that we're not going to find out who was behind everything," Daniel said.

"Not from those men," Hammond replied, "but we haven't given up yet. The president is more determined than ever to root out these people and make sure they are put behind bars."

A frown on her face, Sam returned to her lab. When she got there, she noticed that the Tok'ra appeared to be excited about something. Her father beckoned her over. She saw that he and the others were looking at the largest schematic that Daniel had drawn.

"What's up?" Sam asked.

Jacob tapped the schematic. "We think we know what this is, Sam, and, if we're right, it could be of enormous value both to the Stargate Program and the Tok'ra."

* * *

Daniel was right in the middle of a tricky translation job when Sam and Jacob came into his office.

"We figured out what one of the schematics you drew is for," the major announced.

"You did? That didn't take long."

"The Tok'ra scientists and I recognized the similarities it bore to a device with which we are all very familiar," Selmak told the archeologist, "a ring platform."

"It's a ring platform?"

Sam shook her head. "Even better. It's beaming technology probably much like what's in the Ancient city where we found the lab, except that it doesn't need a device at the reception end. It's like the Asgard's, Daniel. Do you have any idea how important this is? With one of them installed on the Prometheus, it could beam teams right down to planets, and it would give them the ability to pick teams up quickly in case of emergency."

"And, if the Tok'ra base was ever attacked, having one of them would enable us to beam Tok'ra straight to the Stargate," Selmak added. "That could save a great many lives."

"We asked the Asgard a while back if they would share their beaming technology with us, but they were hesitant to do so. Now, we'll have our own. And we have all the instructions we need to start building them. We took a look at the stuff you wrote on the computer, and one of the programs was for this." Sam smiled. "Just this one thing alone is a fantastic boon for us. Dad figures that the Tok'ra will want to get started right away on constructing a prototype. Considering that there may be other people at Area 51 who are involved with the ones behind your kidnapping, I think it would be safer for them to do it than us."

General Hammond agreed that it would be safer for the Tok'ra to handle the project, though he recommended that the work be done at the Alpha Site and that some scientists from Stargate Command be included on the team.

When Daniel returned to his office, he found that an email message had been left for him by Janet to come see her. Wondering what this was about, he headed over to the infirmary.

"I was wondering if you wanted to tell Cassie about the engagement or if it was okay of I told her," the doctor said. "I was going to tell her tonight."

"Sure, that would be fine. She still hasn't met Egeria, which I guess we're really going to have to see about now."

"Oh, you can say that again. Once she finds out about the engagement, she'll be demanding to meet the woman you plan on marrying."

A little while later, Daniel mentioned to Jack what Janet said.

"Hey, I have an idea," the colonel said. "How about if we all meet at my place tonight? We can have dinner, Cassie can meet and get to know Egeria, then you can spring the news on her."

"That sounds good."

Everyone liked the idea, so, that evening, SG-1, Egeria, Janet and Cassie all gathered at Jack's place. It was quite amusing watching Cassie's reaction when she was told that Daniel's girlfriend was _the_ Egeria from Roman mythology and that she was the Goa'uld queen who became the progenitor of the Tok'ra race. Then the teen was told the rest of the story, how Daniel met Egeria, how he helped guide her to becoming a Tok'ra, and how he and SG-1 saved her.

"Wow. That is a totally awesome story," the teenager said. She looked at Egeria. "And you never stopped loving Daniel all that time?"

Egeria smiled softly. "Never. He won my heart the day I met him, and it will be his for as long as I live."

"That is just so romantic. I think it is so cool that you were reunited."

"Yes, and now they get to tell you the rest of it," Jack said with a little smile.

"The rest of it?"

"Egeria and I are getting married in October," Daniel announced.

"Oh, wow! That's so great!" Then Cassie frowned. "But I won't be able to come to the wedding. I'll be in school by then."

"Don't worry, Cassie. We'll get you there."

"Yep, even if I have to borrow a plane and come get you myself," Sam said with a grin.

Everyone had a great time during the rest of the evening. Cassie couldn't help but see the love that was shared by Daniel and Egeria, the way that the black-haired woman looked at the archeologist like he was the center of her universe.

"I wonder how it feels to love someone like that," she commented to Sam.

"It must be amazing, but it would also be scary. Something happened recently, and Daniel came very close to dying. I know that Egeria was scared to death. If she'd lost him, I really think it would have killed her inside. Several weeks ago, we were all off-world, and Egeria was killed in an attack. She was revived with a sarcophagus, but the look in Daniel's eyes when she died. . . ." Sam shook her head. "I don't ever want to see a look like that again."

As the evening drew to a close, Egeria was surprised by a hug from Cassie.

"Thank you for making Daniel happy," the teenager told her. "After his wife died, I hardly ever saw him really happy. I kept hoping that he'd find somebody to be with, and I'm so glad that he finally has."

* * *

The next day, Daniel and Egeria discovered that news of their engagement had gotten out at the base. They both received congratulations from quite a few people. After being asked the dozenth time when the date of the wedding would be, the couple decided that they'd better pick one. They chose Saturday, the fourth of October, which would be exactly two months from the day Daniel proposed.

Now having a set date, Daniel spent some time searching for a place that would work for the wedding and reception. He didn't think that it would be appropriate to have the wedding at a chapel, so it would have to be somewhere else. It was a shame that the rules about the captain of a ship being able to perform marriages didn't apply to generals. He couldn't think of anyone he'd rather have officiate the wedding than General Hammond. When he mentioned that to Egeria, she asked him to explain the whole process to her, knowing that marriages were likely performed quite differently than they had been in ancient Rome. When she learned that it was traditional for the bride to be given away, she wondered if it would be okay for Selmak to do that.

"Um, I don't know," Daniel said. "It's usually the parent who gives away his child, not the other way around. But then, nothing about this situation is exactly normal."

Daniel left work early that day, explaining to Egeria that he had to take care of some things. He told her that she could have a driver take her to his place once she was finished at work. She smiled and said that, someday, he would have to teach her how to drive so that she could get a license and a car, something that would be especially important after they were married and she was no longer living on base. That, in turn, made Daniel think about getting a new place, one that was bigger and more suitable for a married couple.

When Egeria walked into Daniel's house early that evening, she found a vase full of a dozen red roses on the dining room table. As she drew the scent of the flowers into her lungs, Daniel came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"They are beautiful," she said. "Thank you."

Daniel placed a kiss on the side of her neck. "You're welcome. I have something else for you as well." He pulled a small black velvet box from his pocket. "This is another tradition we have when people get engaged." He opened the box to reveal a stunning diamond and emerald engagement ring that made Egeria gasp. "It's called an engagement ring. I had to guess at the size, so I hope it fits."

Daniel took her left hand in his and slipped on the ring, which proved to be a perfect fit. He kissed the knuckles of the hand. "Now it's official."

Smiling brightly, Egeria threw her arms around his neck, and they shared a long, deep kiss.

"I cannot express to you how happy I am," Egeria said. "You have brought to me so much joy, my Daniel. I think back on those days so long ago when I loved you and thought that we could never be together, and I can hardly believe that this is real."

"I understand how you feel, Egeria. For a long time, I thought that there would never be anyone else for me, that Sha're would be the last woman I loved. I can't say how happy I am that I was wrong."

After dinner, Daniel made a call to Catherine Langford. She was delighted to hear from him, and they chatted about a few things.

"I have some news for you," Daniel said at last. "Do you think that you'd be able to get away on October 4th for a trip over here?"

"Um, yes, I believe so. I don't have anything scheduled for then. What is happening on October 4th?"

Daniel grinned, anticipating the woman's reaction. "I'm getting married."

The archeologist heard a noise that sounded like something hitting the floor.

"Married! Oh, my word! This is wonderful news, but I am very put out with you that you didn't tell me you had a girlfriend the last time we talked."

"There's a good reason for that, Catherine. I didn't have a girlfriend the last time we talked. And, yes, I know what you're thinking now. That was only three months ago. The whole thing is a very long story, one I can't tell you over the phone because a lot of it is classified."

"Well, can you at least tell me the name of this mysterious woman who stole your heart so quickly?"

"Her name is Egeria, and we actually met years ago, when I was on a mission."

"Egeria? Interesting name. In Roman mythology, Egeria was a water nymph who became the lover and advisor of Numa Pompilius."

"Um . . . yeah."

There was a long pause. "Daniel, you aren't telling me that your Egeria is," Catherine lowered her voice, "is _that_ Egeria, are you?"

"Like I said, there's a lot I can't say over the phone."

"Well, then I'm thinking that I will have to get there a day or two before the wedding so that you can explain it all to me. It sounds like it really is going to be quite a story."

"Oh, yeah."

After congratulating Daniel again, Catherine said that she was looking forward to seeing him and meeting his fiancee, then they said goodbye. As Daniel hung up the phone, he thought about the day he met the elderly woman and how much his life had changed since then. There had been many times during these years when he thought that the changes had not been for the better, when he'd wished that he could go back to the day that black limo pulled up to him in the pouring rain and change the course of history so that he turned down the woman's job offer. He didn't think that any longer. Yes, there had been a whole lot of grief and hardship during these years, but there had been a lot of amazing and wonderful things as well. He had found true love, not once but twice. He had lost his first love, but he had Egeria now, and, though there would surely be more grief and hardship in the years ahead, he would have her at his side to weather them with him.

* * *

Over the next few days, Daniel and Egeria split their time between work and making plans for the wedding. One of the toughest decisions to make was regarding the Tok'ra. A message had come through from the Tok'ra formally congratulating the couple on their engagement. The message had come from Jacob, who told Sam that he had been right about Aranae's reaction to the news. After the wormhole disengaged, Jack demanded to know what Jacob was talking about.

"Think little kid who has just been told that she is going to Disneyland for the first time in her life," Daniel had responded, Sam having told him about her conversation with Jacob.

Jack had started grinning. "Dang. I wish I'd seen that. It would have been a hoot seeing the queen of the Tok'ra dancing around like that."

Now, Daniel and Egeria were struggling with the decision about which Tok'ra to invite to the wedding. Obviously, they could not all be there. The couple decided that all of the members of the High Council should definitely be invited, though there was some question on whether or not all of them would attend, especially Fennol, who still didn't agree with Egeria's decision to remain human and live on Earth. Egeria also wanted Malek to be there, given his experience of having to watch her original body and consciousness die. And, of course, Aranae's mate, Nefer, must be there.

In the end, they decided that no more than a dozen Tok'ra should be at the wedding and that it should be left up to the High Council to decide who else could attend. There was one Tok'ra, however, that Daniel most definitely did _not_ want to be there: Anise. When he mentioned this, Egeria, of course, had to know why, and Daniel reluctantly told her the history the SGC had with the Tok'ra scientist – and her feelings for him. Egeria thought it was quite amusing, but agreed that it would be best if Anise was not one of the wedding guests.

While all this was going on, some discoveries were also being made. With the help of the Tok'ra scientists and a chemist that was brought in, they were able to determine that one of the chemical formulas Daniel wrote was a way to increase the power generated by liquid Naquadah at least five times its normal strength. This was very exciting news to the brass since it meant that the weapon systems being designed for the 302's would be far more powerful than those found on Death Gliders and that the bigger weapons that would be put on the Prometheus once it was gotten back to Earth would really pack a punch, perhaps enough to do serious damage even to a mothership. Jack, of course, was tickled pink and gave Daniel a hearty pat on the back.

An even bigger discovery was that one of the computer programs Daniel wrote would enable them to open multiple Stargates at the same time, perhaps even the entire Stargate network. Though they didn't yet know how this could be used to their advantage, Sam recognized that it could prove to be of tremendous value.

It was a week after Daniel proposed to Egeria that she woke up one morning feeling ill. Having never been sick in her life, the former queen did not understand what she was feeling, only that she felt horrible. Then she recalled the memories she'd gained from her host, Arria, the terrible nausea and vomiting that the woman had suffered as a result of her terminal illness.

Not wishing to alarm Daniel, Egeria did not tell him how she was feeling. After explaining that she wasn't really very hungry and sending him off to the commissary for breakfast without her, she just barely made it to the bathroom before throwing up.

As the black-haired woman sat on the floor before the toilet, feeling weak and shaky, she wondered what she should do. It was possible that this was just something temporary. She knew that the human body was susceptible to many illnesses and ailments, quite a few of which were not serious and would go away on their own. It might even go away today, and there would be no reason to tell Daniel at all. But then she thought about the promise that she'd made him give to her, that if he was ever injured, he was not to attempt to hide it. Would she not be a hypocrite if she turned around and hid how she was feeling?

Once Egeria felt well enough to return to the bed, she decided that she could not hide this, but she also decided that it would be best to go to Doctor Fraiser first. The doctor could then perform some tests and determine what the illness was.

Janet was a little surprised to see the former Tok'ra queen when she came walking into the infirmary. The serious look on Egeria's face told her that something was wrong.

"Egeria? What's the matter?" Janet asked.

"I need to speak with you privately."

"Oh? Um, all right. Do you want to talk in my office or. . . ."

"In your office would be fine."

Once the door of the office was shut and Janet was sitting behind her desk, she really studied the face of the woman before her. The doctor's sharp eyes noticed that she looked a little pale.

"Egeria, are you sick?"

"I do not know. I awoke this morning feeling quite unwell."

"Nauseous?"

"Yes."

"Did you vomit?"

Egeria nodded. "I have never before been ill. I only have the memories of my host from when she was sick with a terminal illness."

"Well, I'm sure it isn't anything that bad, Egeria. It may be as simple as a touch of food poisoning. I'm guessing that Daniel doesn't know you're sick. He'd be here with you, if he knew."

"I did not wish to alarm him. Please do not tell him until you know what is wrong with me."

"All right, but we're going to have to run some tests, and I need to examine you."

The examination consisted mostly of Janet palpating Egeria's stomach and asking if anything hurt or if there were any other symptoms. She then got some blood and urine samples and went off to the lab, telling Egeria that she could get dressed but to remain there.

By the time Janet returned, Egeria was feeling much better and began to think that she had "jumped the gun" and should have waited before going to the doctor. But then she got a look at the expression on Janet's face and started to get concerned again.

"I got the results back on some of the tests," the physician said. She then paused. "Um, Egeria, when did you have your last menstrual period, your last menses?"

Egeria frowned. "I have never had one."

Janet's eyebrows rose. "You haven't? Didn't it strike you as odd that you haven't had one in all this time?"

"When a Goa'uld takes a female host, they stop the menstrual cycle to prevent pregnancy, though what they do can easily be reversed. What a Goa'uld queen does is different. The changes made to the host's body are irreversible, being necessary for the spawning of her own young. Therefore, I have never personally experienced menses, so it did not occur to me."

Janet was curious to find out exactly what a Goa'uld queen did to the reproductive organs of her host's body. That, however, could wait for another time. She excused herself for a moment. When she came back, she was holding a pink plastic disk.

"You should have been given a couple of these on the day that your consciousness was put in that body. I put two of them in with some other things and told a nurse to give them to you and tell you how to use everything in the box."

"Yes, I received them. The nurse began to explain the things to me, but then she was called away on an emergency and never returned."

This time, it was Janet who frowned. It looked like she'd be having a little talk with a certain nurse.

"Is this thing important?" Egeria asked, quite clueless.

"You could say that," Janet responded. "How long have you and Daniel been sexually active with each other?"

Egeria counted the days. "Thirty-four days as of today."

Janet did a quick mental calculation and almost smiled, wondering if Daniel received an extra special birthday present this year.

"I see. Well, these things are birth control pills, Egeria. You take them to avoid pregnancy. Since you weren't taking them and, apparently, have been having unprotected sex, nature has, therefore, taken its course."

The black-haired woman blinked, staring at the pills.

"You're pregnant, Egeria," Janet told her to make sure she understood. "Now, based on what you said, your first period was apparently missed, probably due to the cloning process. The fact that you're experiencing morning sickness means that you're at least two weeks along, most likely longer."

Egeria finally found her voice. "I-I-I am with child?" she stammered. "A-a human child?"

"Well, I should certainly _hope_ so."

Suddenly, tears flooded Egeria's eyes, a hand pressed to her mouth. She jumped off the exam bed and dashed out of the room.

"So, was that good news or bad news?" Janet murmured into the empty room.

* * *

Egeria ran. She paid no mind to the people who stared at her as she rushed by them. Taking the stairs, she traveled up to Level 18.

Daniel was more than a little startled when Egeria came bursting into his office.

"Egeria? What's wrong? Did something happen?"

Slowly, she walked up to him until their bodies were almost touching. She took his hands in hers and clasped them to her chest. Her eyes gazed into his.

"Two thousand years ago, I used your seed to help create my children, children who, from that day on, I always looked upon as your children as well." She lowered one of his hands and placed it low upon her belly. "Now, your seed has once again been used in the creation of life, to create a child, _our_ child."

Daniel stared dumbly at the spot where his hand was resting on Egeria's body, his eyes widening.

"Y-y-your . . . your pregnant?"

That's when the brightest, happiest smile that had ever graced Egeria's lips beamed across her face. "Yes, my Daniel. You are the father to my child and will be so to many more in the years to come."

Daniel's eyes finally met hers, a stunned look in their depths. Then, all at once, he was laughing.

As Egeria pulled his lips down to hers, the thought in her mind was of all the great things she knew that this child created with her beloved Daniel during an act of mutual love and passion would accomplish in the future, a future that would be filled with hope and joy.

THE END

And so ends this fic. I promised you a happy ending, and I always deliver on my promises. :-)

If it seems as if there should be more to this story, the reason for that is that I was planning on writing a third fic, which would have tied up some loose ends and continued showing the ramifications of Egeria's presence and Daniel's experience with the Ancient repository. However, interest in the story has dropped so much that I've decided not to write the third fanfic at this time. I will likely write it someday in the future, but, for now, I think my time will be better spent on other stories, some of which are long overdue to be written or completed.

My thanks to all the readers who reviewed this story and stuck with it to the end.


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